WORLD CUP FEVER GRIPS DISBELIEVING RUSSIA

Russian fans danced in the streets of Kaliningrad on the Baltic and kissed strangers in Vladivostok in the Far East after their team defied all expectations to reach the World Cup quarter-finals. In the Black Sea resort of Sochi, thousands of fans with Russian flags draped around their shoulders watched a giant screen transfixed and cars in central Moscow honked from dusk till dawn.

A mixture of disbelief and jubilation is gripping the host nation after their team pulled off one of the biggest World Cup upsets in recent memory, sending 2010 champions Spain packing after a penalty shootout decided their last-16 tie. “It’s great. Unbelievable. We are champions,” 27-year old Muscovite Anna Glazkova said after Sunday’s match. We believe we will now be in the final with Brazil.”

The penalty shootout turned goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev into a national hero after a backs-to-the-wall performance in which they had just over a quarter of possession. “What is there to hide, we were hoping for penalties,” Akinfeev admitted to reporters. It is the type of honesty that is endearing this rag-tag team of journeymen to a nation unused to celebrating its football team.

Russia is at heart an ice hockey country in which the beautiful game is played — but not necessarily very well. The chant often filling Russian stadiums during matches is “shai-bu!” — the word for “hockey puck” — a teasing reminder to the footballers that their hockey counterparts know how to score. But the roar of the 80,000-crowd packed into Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium — the same word echoing in bars and metro stations and shouted in Komsomolsk-on-Amur 6,000 kilometres (3,800 miles) to the east — was “Ro-ssi-ya!” over and over again. “Hurray!” Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev tweeted from the International Space Station after watching the match streamed live on a floating laptop.

“I always knew we could do it,” a shaman from Siberia told the national Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper.

– Writing history –

Coach Stanislav Cherchesov had already made history by leading Russia out of the group for the first time since the Soviet era. Many feared the worst when the hosts entered the tournament as the lowest-ranked team and without a win in eight months. But Russia thumped Saudi Arabia and Egypt by a combined 8-1 margin in the first two games. They played attacking football. They looked like they belonged.

A 3-0 defeat in their final group match to Uruguay dampened spirits and set the scene for Sunday’s nervy clash against a Spain side that had not lost in two years — a run of 23 games. The match added with the Sport Express daily running just one word across its front page: “HURAAAAAAAY!” Cherchesov has now written another page of history, becoming just the second Soviet or Russian coach to win in the knockout stage of a World Cup.

The Soviets beat Hungary in 1966 end went on to finish fourth in England but their last appearance in the quarter-finals came in 1970. Their next one comes on Saturday when they play Croatia in Sochi’s Fisht Stadium — home of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Russia are now just two wins away from being in the final and playing for the right to lift the trophy in front of President Vladimir Putin at the Luzhniki on July 15. The sports-mad Russian leader stayed away from the stadium on Sunday because of what the Kremlin said was a busy schedule. Many on social media speculated it was because most expected Russia to lose. Russia could potentially play England in the semi-finals and then realise Muscovite Glazkova’s dream of going up against five-time champions Brazil with the trophy at stake.

Photo: AFP / Maxim ZMEYEV and Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV

RUSSIA HOPES FOR WORLD CUP MIRACLE

Russia are hoping for a World Cup miracle on Sunday as the host nation take on 2010 winners Spain for a place in the quarter-finals following the exit of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The other last-16 match pits a talented Croatia team led by Luka Modric against Denmark, but the sides in action will struggle to emulate the drama of Saturday’s first two last-16 matches.

Russia came into the tournament derided by their own supporters after a string of defeats in warm-up matches but they thrashed Saudi Arabia 5-0 in their opener and then swept aside Egypt 3-1, making even their own sceptical public believe.

A comprehensive defeat to Uruguay provided a reality check but Russia and midfielder Denis Cheryshev will be roared on by much of the 80,000-crowd in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow and they see no reason to fear Andres Iniesta, Isco and Diego Costa.

Photo: AFP / Alexander NEMENOV

RUSSIA 2018: NIGERIA, FOUR OTHERS’ AFCON FIXTURES TO BE MOVED

The African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers of the continent’s representatives to the World Cup taking place in Russia come June 2018 which was initially billed to hold in March the same year will be moved; the Confederation of African Football has announced.

The AFCON Qualifiers games of Nigeria, Egypt, Senegal, Morocco, and Tunisia will be moved to October 2018 to free up space for the teams to schedule friendlies for the international break coming up in March, in their build-up for the FIFA tournament kicking off in June of the same year.

Toyin Ibitoye, spokesman for the Super Eagles confirmed the news of the matches being shifted. ‘’African teams to the World Cup will now have the March 2018 FIFA international days for the friendly games after the CAF executive committee approved a proposal by Nigeria for the 2019 AFCON qualifiers fixed for that period moved to October 2018,’’ Ibitoye is quoted as saying.

He also added that the 2019 edition of Africa’s biggest football competition will now be played in June as against January, which was the month the Cup of Nations always took place, giving more time for the 2019 AFCON qualifiers to be rounded up.

Senegal makes a return to the World Cup for the first time in 16 years while the Pharaohs of Egypt which will also be representing Africa will feature in Russia after a 28-year-absence as a result of their failure to qualify for the tournament since their last appearance in 1990 when the tournament was hosted by Italy.

Chinedu Victor.

vickychi24@gmail.com

vickychi24@yahoo.com

 

RUSSIA 2018: GERMANY’S TROPHY TO LOSE

The 2018 FIFA World Cup comes up in 7 months and the usual suspects like Spain, Brazil, France, Portugal, Japan, Mexico, England, Argentina and the Super Eagles of Nigeria have all booked their places for the biggest football festival going down in Russia.

Defending champions Germany will definitely be part of the competition and will be looking to retain title they lifted last time out in 2014 when the tournament was hosted by South American giants Brazil. Although I do not have a crystal ball to say which team will be triumphant next year, I strongly feel the Germans can stake their claim and go all the way to be crowned once again world champions out there in cold Eastern Europe.

This being so because Germany have been one of the most consistent sides in the competition since the 1990 edition in Italy; being among the last eight teams and have been among the top four teams since Korea Republic and Japan jointly hosted the world in 2002.

Although known as West Germany in Italia 90, the Germans were one – nil winners against an Argentine team that had a former World Cup winner and football great Diego Amando Maradona as part of their squad. An 85^th minute penalty converted by left wingback Andreas Brehme broke down Argentina to see the Franz Beckenbauer tutored side crowned champions of the world.

Four years later, all roads led to the United States of America and Germany came out on the top of their game and made it as far as the quarter-finals but failed to progress further after they were defeated by Bulgaria 2-1 who came from a goal behind thanks to goals from HristoStoichkov and YordanLetchkov respectively after LotharMatthaus had put the Germans in front.

In 1998, it was the turn of France to welcome the world as the German team, led by former Nigerian coach Berti Vogts was made up of the crop of players that won the 1996 European Championship in England. Players like Jurgen Klinsmann, Thomas Hassler, Oliver Bierhoff were expected by all to shine but in the end they could only achieve a quarter-final berth and were eventually eliminated by Croatia in a one sided game that ended 3 – nil by the Davor Suker led attack.

In the 2002 edition of the World Cup cohosted by Korea and Japan, Rudi Voeller was given charge of the team that had Oliver Kahn, Michael Ballack, MiroslavKlose and Oliver Neuville. The team was excellent and it was clear to see that the side was well on their way to clinch the trophy after wonderful performances from the group stages to their semi-final game. But yet again this was not going to be their year as they were beaten by Brazil with Ronaldo Nazario netting a brace to hurt the Germans.

2006 was another year and this time Germany had the home support to cheer them on as they were the host of the tournament. Former player Klinsmann led the team, who were once a formidable force to reckon with and were once again tagged heavy favorites to come out as champions. But once again Mother Luck refused to shine on Die Mannschaft as they were defeated in their semi-final match against Italy that later went on to lift the trophy in the final match against France; another disappointing year to add to their history of try and fail.

Joachim Low was the man assigned to lead the team in the2010 edition hosted by South Africa; the first African nation to host a World Cup tournament. Germany did not fail to deliver once again in the group stages and later went on to defeat England in the Round of 16 and eliminated Argentina in their quarter-final game. And once again, the script of defeat was written as they lost to the eventual winners of that year’s tournament; Spain.

The German Football Association still kept faith with Low as he was once again saddled with the responsibility to manage the team when the tournament was hosted by Brazil in 2014. The team again progressed from and advanced to the semi-finals where they humiliated the host 7 goals to 1 to book a place in the final where they squared up against Argentina: who they were facing again after their previous encounters in 2006 and 2010. The final game against La Albiceleste at the Maracana stadium was a highly contested game that produced no winner in 90 minutes and had to be decided in extra time.  Thanks to a solitary goal by the Borussia Dortmund player, Mario Gotze in the 113^th minute marking the first time teams from the same continent would win three consecutive World Cups (2006: Italy, 2010: Spain and 2014: Germany).

Germany did not fail to deliver also at the FIFA Confederations Cup hosted by Russia this year in June as a new look side that had so many absentees who were in Brazil and crowned champions watched the team on television as they went on to defeat current Copa America champions Chile; thanks to Lars Stindl’s lone strike in the final.

Although no team that won the Confederations Cup has gone on to win the World Cup the following year, Germany has made a bold statement by qualifying for the FIFA World Cup without dropping a single in the qualification stage. They are confident they can compete for the trophy and go on to retain it with an array of stars that the country possesses given the fact that they can boast of a formidable B team that shocked the world by clinching FIFA’s pre show tournament to the big one next and not rely heavily on the big boys from the class of 2014.

Without a doubt, Joachim Low will definitely have a headache when choosing the final squad which will represent the nation in Russia as people will expect a mix of the big boys and the lads who performed excellently well at the Confederations Cup.

A headache it will be but a very good headache to have because with current set of players at Low’s disposal, the Germans are in top shape and perfectly placed to retain the World Cup; and the only team that can stop them is Germany. It is indeed their trophy to lose.

– Chinedu Victor.

vickychi24@gmail.com

vickychi24@yahoo.com