Netherlands 1 Russia 3: Hiddink proves superior to apprentice in magic victory

Caption competition
Caption competition
View past winners of our Sports caption competition
News in pictures
News in pictures
On Facebook
Sport blogs

iBet: AC Milan’s lead at the top looks temporary

Juventus lost the lead of Serie A in Italy at the weekend by virtue of their game with Bologne being...

Financial strife fails to dim smiles at high-flying Rayo Vallecano

This is a club that, despite all it's off-the-field financial problems, is currently flourishing in ...

Hertha Berlin and the Skibbe saga – a depressing tale

Perhaps, in a few decades time, some German writer will transform Michael Skibbe's excruciatingly br...

The sorcerer proved as superior to his apprentice as Russia were to the Netherlands in yet another enthralling Euro 2008 encounter here on Saturday.

Guus Hiddink, the Dutchman in charge of the Russian team, was responsible some years ago for pushing Marco van Basten into a coaching career. The younger man, having become one of Hiddink's successors as Dutch manager, went into their meeting with his team clear favourites to progress to Thursday's semi-final, but found himself outwitted and at a loss to explain why.

"We didn't play as we did the first three games and I don't know why," Van Basten admitted as Saturday night became Sunday morning. They were not allowed to by Russia's thoroughly modern combination of pressing and swift counter-attacking, inspired by an unlikely looking national hero in Zenit St Petersburg's Andrei Arshavin, managing to control a game while playing only just behind the main striker. Up in the stands Chelsea's owner Roman Abramovich must surely have cast covetous eyes on his countryman, who is now understood to be taking English lessons. Everton's David Moyes was impressed after coming up against him in the Uefa Cup this season but was forced to admit even at that stage: "Everton can't afford the roubles." Only the very richest – like Chelsea – could do so now that Arshavin's stock has risen so high.

Suspended for the opening two group games here after absurdly getting himself sent off against Andorra in a qualifying match, he returned to be named man of the match by Uefa's technical committee in the decisive 2-0 win over Sweden and repeated the feat on Saturday after being involved in making Russia's first two goals for Roman Pavlyuchenko and substitute Dmitri Torbinsky, then scoring the third. It was hard on Manchester United's Edwin van der Sar, making his 128th and final international appearance, who made some excellent saves throughout a game with no fewer than 54 attempts on goal.

The Dutch were fortunate to take the game to extra-time with a late header by Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Given the timing of such a blow, Russian heads might have fallen as low as Croatia's did in similar circumstances against Turkey the previous night. Hiddink, however, was able to rally his men before extra-time and avoid any possibility of a similar psychological collapse. Russia finished much the stronger, despite having played the crucial Sweden match three days earlier, after the Netherlands had rested nine players in their final group game.

Their better conditioning was another factor inexplicable to Van Basten, who will now be succeeded by the Feyenoord coach Bert van Marwijk. At fault in not starting with Arsenal's Robin van Persie, then using up his three options for substitutions too early, he was gracious enough to congratulate the victors in their dressing-room and to concede: "They were better than we were."

Hiddink managed to combine praise for his players with a modicum of self-satisfaction in his justifiable assertion that: "The team was superior technically, tactically and physically. We were better than our opponents in all parts of the game."

Englishmen who remember Russia losing 3-0 at Wembley only nine months ago, albeit that the scoreline was a touch flattering, must have wondered how this could be the same team. In a sense it was not, as Hiddink explained before being unable to resist a little dig at Steve McClaren and his squad: "My team was in progression then. I kept on changing and looking for other players as well, which weren't playing for the high-ranked clubs in Russia. They are very keen and very coachable. England had a very good day that day. Maybe their only one!"

More than 25 years' experience as a coach was also put to use in combating the Netherlands' strengths and weaknesses. Believing them to be strongest down the left, Hiddink stationed the disciplined Bundesliga player Ivan Saenko there – the only player in the squad not with a Russian club – and ordered his men to cut the supply to the dangerous Rafael van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder. It worked a treat, and Russia gave us one.

Netherlands (4-2-3-1): Van der Sar (Manchester Utd); Bouhlarouz (Seville), Ooijer (Blackburn), Mathijsen (Hamburg), Van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord); De Jong (Hamnburg), Engelaar (Twente); Kuyt (Liverpool), Van der Vaart (Hamburg), Sneijder (Real Madrid); Van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid). Substitutes used: Van Persie (Arsenal) for Kuyt, h-t. Heitinga (Ajax) for Bouhlarouz, 54. Afellay (PSV Eindhoven) for Engelaar, 62.

Russia (4-1-3-2): Akinfeev (CSKA); Anyukov (Zenit), Ignashevich (CSKA), Kolodin (Dinamo), Zhirkov (CSKA); Semak (Rubin Kazan); Saenko (Nuremburg), Semshov (Dinamo), Zyryanov (Zenit); Arshavin (Zenit), Pavlyuchenko (Spartak). Substitutes used: Bilyaletdinov (Lokomotiv) for Semshov, 69. Torbinsky (Lokomotiv) for Saenko, 81. Sychev (Lokomotiv) for Pavlyuchenko, 114.

Referee: L Michel (Slovakia).

Booked: Netherlands Bouhlarouz, Van Persie, Van der Vaart. Russia Kolodin, Torbinsky, Zhirkov.

Man of the match: Arshavin.

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Career Services

Day In a Page

No secularism please, we're British

No secularism please, we're British

Arguments about the role of religion in national life have recently acquired a new urgency
Harold Tillman: 'Chinese tourists can save the high street – if we let them'

Harold Tillman interview

'Chinese tourists can save the high street – if we let them'
Working as a jail torturer ruined my life

Working as a jail torturer ruined my life

Meet the former soldier who has joined the political prisoners he tortured in Turkey's Mamak prison by suing the generals who led a regime of terror
The local high street jet shop

The local high street jet shop

Got a spare $50m and can't stand the queues at Heathrow? Get yourself down to London's first private plane dealership
Do you like your doctor? It could be the death of you

Do you like your doctor?

It could be the death of you...
The mysterious affair of how Agatha Christie is teaching foreigners English

How Agatha Christie is teaching foreigners English

Twenty of the author's novels have been adapted and presented with learning notes and a CD
Six Grammys, five years off: Adele puts love before career

Six Grammys, five years off

Adele puts love before career
The 10 Best binoculars

The 10 Best binoculars

From no-frills to bins with digital cameras
Milan for £300

Milan for £300?

A cultural family holiday - on a budget - to Italy's most stylish city
'Black-hole' resorts: Turn up, tune out, log off

'Black-hole' resorts

Turn up, tune out, log off
New Arsenal face an old question of credibility in San Siro

New Arsenal face an old question of credibility in San Siro

Remodelled since winning in Milan in 2008, for all their consistency – and prize-money – Wenger's side are yet to claim a European title
James Lawton: This prodigal son deserves no forgiveness

James Lawton: This prodigal son deserves no forgiveness

City would be putting their desire to win title ahead of morals if Tevez plays for them
Mark Cavendish: Is Olympic gold at end of the rainbow?

Mark Cavendish interview

Is Olympic gold at end of the rainbow?
Apple admits it has a human rights problem

Apple admits it has a human rights problem

After years of complaints and workers' suicides in China the technology giant faces up to the human cost of its gadgets
Peter Moore: 'I feel guilty I'm the only one alive'

Peter Moore interview

'I feel guilty I'm the only one alive'