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Russia national football team
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The Russia national football team is the national football team of Russia controlled by the Football Union of Russia and affiliated with UEFA.
Russia qualified for two World Cups and three European Championships. Euro 2008 marks the first time they have passed the group stages of a major tournament, these advances are not counting the USSR national team.
FIFA considers the Russia national team the direct descendant of the CIS and USSR national teams.
HistoryAfter the break up of the Soviet Union, Russia played its first international match against Mexico on August 16, 1992 winning 2-0 with a team of former USSR players from the other republics.
BeginningLed by manager Pavel Sadyrin, Russia were in Group 5 for the qualification campaign which consisted of Greece, Iceland, Hungary and Luxembourg. The suspension of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, reduced the group to five teams. Russia eventually qualified alongside Greece with six wins and two draws. Russia went to the USA to start a new era of Russian football as an independent country. Though not considered to be among the strongest teams in the tournament, Russia were seen as fierce opponents. The Russian squad consisted of veterans like goalkeeper Stanislav Cherchesov, Aleksandr Borodyuk and players like Viktor Onopko, Oleg Salenko, Aleksandr Mostovoi, Vladimir Beschastnykh, and Valery Karpin.
In the final tournament, Russia was drawn into group B with Cameroon, Sweden, and Brazil. This was considered a strong group with Russia having limited chances of qualifying for the second round. In their first two games Russia lost 2-0 to Brazil and 3-1 to Sweden. Already eliminated, Russia defeated Cameroon 6-1 with Oleg Salenko scoring a record five goals in a single match. Russia was eliminated from the tournament with three points from one win and two losses. Sadyrin was later sacked following what was a poor performance.
Romantsev EraAfter Sadyrin was sacked, Oleg Romantsev was appointed coach to lead Russia to Euro 96. Romantsev was expected to qualify Russia for the final tournament and perform well. In his squad he selected many players from the 1994 FIFA World Cup like Viktor Onopko, Aleksandr Mostovoi, Vladimir Beschastnykh, and Valery Karpin. During qualifying, Russia overcame Scotland, Greece, Finland, San Marino, and the Faroe Islands to finish in first place with eight wins and two draws.
In the final tournament Russia was in Group C with Germany, Czech Republic, and Italy. Group C was considered the 'group of death' with Russia dubbed the weakest team. Italy beat Russia 2-1. Having lost their first game Russia were not expected to perform well against Germany. To much surprise, though, the first half ended goalless. However Germany went on to win 3-0. Russia's last game against the Czech Republic was to be nothing more than a consolation. The game ended 3-3 with a late equalizer from the Czech Republic.
1997-1999After Euro 96, Boris Ignatyev was appointed manager. His goal was to lead Russia to the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. He used many players from Euro 96 like Viktor Onopko, Aleksandr Mostovoi, and Valery Karpin. In the qualifying stage Russia was in group 5 with Bulgaria, Israel, Cyprus, and Luxembourg. Russia and Bulgaria were considered the two main contenders to qualify from the group with Israel considered a minor threat. Russia began the campaign with two victories against Cyprus and Luxembourg and two draws against Israel and Cyprus. They continued with victories against Luxembourg and Israel. Russia suffered their only defeat of the campaign with a 1-0 loss to Bulgaria. They ended the campaign with a 4-2 victory in the return game over Bulgaria and qualify for the playoff spot. In the playoffs, Russia was drawn with Italy. In the first leg Russia drew 1-1. In the away leg, Russia was defeated 1-0 and failed to qualify for the World Cup.
After failing to qualify for the World Cup in France, Russia were determined to qualify for the 2000 UEFA European Championships co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands. Anatoliy Byshovets was appointed as Russia manager. Byshovets made very little changes to squad by recalling players from the previous generations. Byshovets did call up striker Alexander Panov. Russia were drawn in group 4 for the qualifying round with France, Ukraine, Iceland, Armenia, and Andorra. Russia and France were considered as favorites for the top two spots with Ukraine being an outside contenders. Russia began their campaign with three straight defeats to Ukraine, France, and Iceland. Outraged by this result, the Russian Football Union immediately sacked Byshovets and reappointed Oleg Romantsev as manager. The reappointment of Romanstev as manager brought an complete turn around to Russia's campaign. They went on to win their next six games including a 3-2 victory over France at the Stade de France. In their last game against Ukraine, Russia needed a win to confirm a place for the playoffs however the game finished 1-1. Russia finished third, failing to qualify for their second major tournament in succession.
RevivalOleg Romantsev remained as manager of the national team to supervise their qualification campaign to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan. In the preliminary stage Russia was in group 1 with Slovenia, FR Yugoslavia, and Switzerland, Faroe Islands, and Luxembourg. Russia were once again considered the favourites to qualify along with either Switzerland or Yugoslavia. Russia finished their campaign in first place to qualify directly managing seven wins, two draws, and a loss.
At the final tournament of the 2002 FIFA World Cup campaign in Korea and Japan, Russia was drawn into group H with Belgium, Tunisia, and Japan. Group H was considered the weakest group of the tournament and Russia were considered serious contenders to qualify for the second round. In their first game Russia achieved a 2-0 victory over Tunisia. Russia lost their next match to Japan 1-0 causing riots to erupt in Moscow. For their last game against Belgium, Russia needed a draw to take them to the second round. Russia lost 3-2. Russia were eliminated.
Oleg Romantsev was sacked immediately following the tournament and replaced with CSKA's Valery Gazzaev. Gazzaev's task looked difficult as Russia's group consisted of Switzerland, Republic of Ireland, Albania, and Georgia with the Irish considered favourites and an improving Swiss side as an increasing threat. Russia began their campaign with home victories against the Republic of Ireland and Albania. However, they suffered a major setback after losing their next two games away to Albania and Georgia which put Gazzaev's career in jeopardy. He was promptly sacked after a disappointing draw with Switzerland in Basel. Russia managed a 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland in Dublin before Georgi Yartsev was appointed manager. Yartsev managed to qualify Russia for a playoff spot with Wales after home victories to Switzerland and Georgia. In the first playoff leg Russia drew 0-0 with Wales in Moscow. In Cardiff, Russia emerged victorious 1-0 from a Vadim Yevseyev header to qualify for Euro 2004. The victory was overshadowed when Russian midfielder Yegor Titov tested positive for drugs. Amidst calls for Russia to be disqualified, Titov was given a one-year ban on February 15, 2004.
In Euro 2004, Russia was in group A with Greece, Spain, and Portugal. On June 12, the first day of the tournament, Russia lost to Spain 1-0. Four days later, Russia faced hosts Portugal. Portugal went on to win 2-0. In Russia's final game they won 2-1 against Greece as they were eliminated from Euro 2004.
In the 2006 World Cup qualifying tournament, Russia was drawn into group 3 with Portugal, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein. Russia began qualification with a 1-1 draw against Slovakia on September 4, 2004 in Moscow. They seemed to pick up some pace with 4-0 win over Luxembourg, but suffered a 7-1 defeat against Portugal in Lisbon. Victories against Estonia and Liechtenstein seemed to put them back on track but a 1-1 draw with Estonia on March 30, 2005 in Tallinn was a major disappointment which saw the end of Georgi Yartsev's reign. Under new manager Yuri Semin, Russia were able to rekindle their hopes with a 2-0 win against Latvia before a 1-1 draw in Riga on August 17, 2005. Russia seemed to redeem themselves with victories against Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and a 0-0 draw against Portugal. In their final game Russia needed to win against Slovakia in Bratislava. After a 0-0 draw Slovakia advanced to the playoffs above Russia on goal difference. Russia finished third with 23 points and suffered their biggest loss ever, 7-1 against Portugal in Lisbon, failing to qualify for the play-offs.
Euro 2008Having failed to qualify Russia for the 2006 World Cup, Yuri Semin stepped down several weeks later and Russia began looking for a new manager. It was clear that a foreign manager would be needed as most of the high profile Russian coaches were not successful with the national team. On April 10, 2006, it was announced that then Australia manager Guus Hiddink would lead Russia in the Euro 2008 qualification campaign.
For the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. Russia were drawn into group E with England, Croatia, Israel, FYR Macedonia, Estonia, and Andorra. Led by Guus Hiddink, Russia began their Euro 2008 campaign by drawing with Croatia 0-0 and Israel 1-1 at home. They picked up momentum with a 2-0 win against FYR Macedonia in Skopje, and 2-0 home and away wins against Estonia. On June 2, 2007, Russia defeated Andorra 4-0 in Saint Petersburg with Aleksandr Kerzhakov scoring a hat-trick and an additional goal scored by Dmitriy Sychev. Russia then defeated Macedonia 3-0. Russia's campaign suffered a setback in September 2007 when they lost 3-0 to England at Wembley. In the return game in Moscow, Russia fell to an early goal from Wayne Rooney. During the second half Russia came from behind to win 2-1 with Roman Pavlyuchenko scoring both goals. At the time England were the strongest team defensively in the whole qualifying campaign. On November 17, 2007, Russia suffered a 2-1 defeat to Israel to put qualification hopes out of their hands. Despite the defeat, Russia still managed to qualify with a 1-0 win over Andorra while England suffered a 3-2 defeat to a Croatia side at Wembley. Russia were able to qualify in second place with 24 points above England who had 23 points.
Prior to Euro 2008, Russia lost to Romania and defeated Kazakhstan, Serbia, and Lithuania in friendlies, but their win over Serbia came at a price. In the victory against Serbia, then number one striker Pavel Pogrebnyak suffered a severe injury which caused him to miss the entire Euro 2008 tournament.
In the Euro 2008 tournament, Russia were drawn into Group D with Sweden and Euro 2004 group rivals Spain and Greece.
On 10 June Russia was heavily beaten by Spain 1-4 in their opening Euro 2008 game in Innsbruck. David Villa scored a hat-trick and Cesc Fàbregas added a fourth after Roman Pavlyuchenko had reduced the arrears with a header close to the end of the game. Russia quickly rebounded however and won their next game against Greece 1-0 with Konstantin Zyryanov being the lone goal scorer. The third game at Innsbruck stadium saw Russia as 2-0 victor over Sweden, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Andrei Arshavin having scored. The victory made it possible for the Russian team to qualify further on to the quarterfinals with 6 points, running-up to Spain, who gained 9.
In a quarter-final against the Netherlands, the tournament favourites up to this point, Pavlyuchenko scored ten minutes after half-time. With four minutes left in the match, Ruud van Nistelrooy scored, to make it 1 - 1 and put the game into extra time. But Russia regained the lead when Dmitri Torbinski tapped in after a cross by Andrei Arshavin. Arshavin scored against Edwin van der Sar to send Russia through to their first major semi final since the break up of the USSR. In the semi-finals Russia was once again matched up against Spain. On a rainy night in Vienna, the two teams went into half-time with the score at 0-0. However, Xavi put Spain 1-0 just after half-time. Dani Güiza and David Silva also scored, making the final score 3-0, and eliminating Russia.
KitsRussia's home kit currently consists of red socks, red shorts, and a red shirt. Their away kit is identical but white. The kits are currently provided by Nike.
Although they do not currently have a 3rd kit, in the past they have had alternate strips, usually consisting of a blue shirt, white shorts, and red socks.
World Cup record | Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA |
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| 1994 | Round 1 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 6 | | 1998 | Did Not Qualify | |
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| 2002 | Round 1 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | | 2006 | Did Not Qualify | |
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| Total | 2/4 | | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 10 |
European Championship record| Year | Round | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA |
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| Round 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | | Did Not Qualify | |
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| Round 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | | Semi-finals | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8 | | 2012 | |
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| Total | 3/4 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 20 |
Qualifying campaigns| FIFA World Cup | European Football Championship |
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| 1994 - Finished 2nd in Qualifying group, qualified for WC 1994 | 1996 - Finished 1st in Qualifying group, qualified for Euro 1996 | | 1998 - Finished 2nd in Qualifying group, lost to Italy in playoffs | 2000 - Finished 3rd in Qualifying group | | 2002 - Finished 1st in Qualifying group, qualified for WC 2002 | 2004 - Finished 2nd in Qualifying group, beat Wales in playoffs to qualify for Euro 2004 | | 2006 - Finished 3rd in Qualifying group | 2008 - Finished 2nd in Qualifying group, qualified for Euro 2008 | | 2010 - Qualification in progress |
Managers
Squad23-Man Squad for Euro 2008.
Recent call-ups| Player | DOB | Club | Caps (goals) | Position | Latest call-up |
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| Pavel Pogrebnyak | | Zenit Saint Petersburg | 9 (4) | Striker | Euro 2008, replaced due to injury | | Aleksandr Pavlenko | | Spartak Moscow | 0 (0) | Midfielder | 4 June 2008, | | Marat Izmaylov | | Sporting CP | 31 (2) | Midfielder | February 2008, training session | | Aleksandr Kerzhakov | | Dynamo Moscow | 44 (13) | Striker | February 2008, training session | | Ivan Taranov | | | 0 (0) | Defender | February 2008, training session | | Viktor Budyansky | | U.S. Lecce | 2 (0) | Midfielder | 21 November 2007, | | Anton Shunin | | Dynamo Moscow | 1 (0) | Goalkeeper | 17 October 2007, | | Roman Vorobyov | | FC Khimki | 1 (0) | Midfielder | 12 September 2007, |
Famous former playersThis list comprises the most notable footballers of the Russian era. For notable players from the USSR era, see USSR national football team.
See also
External links
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