Euro 2008: Russian Bloc Too Much for Sweden

On Tuesday, Russia defeated Sweden 2-0 advancing to the quarter finals for the first time ever as an independent country. The team welcomed back striker Andrei Arshavin from suspension and he caused continuous problems for the Swedish defense.

From the opening whistle the relentless attack was poured on by the boys in red as they swarmed around keeper Andreas Isaksson forcing him time and again to keep Sweden in the game.

As the 24th minute approached, the Russians finally put one in the net as Roman Pavlyuchenko slotted home his second goal of the tournament.

Konstantin Zyryanov left the ball off for Aleksandr Anyukov who in turn left it off for Pavlyuchenko who calmly put the ball past a helpless Isaksson. Sweden’s best chance of the  game came minutes later when Henrik Larsson sent a header off the crossbar allowing Russia to regain control of the game.

The Russians continued to pepper the shots as Pavlyuckenko beat Isaksson again only to be stopped by the crossbar. The score remained 1-0 as the referee blew for half time with Russia leading the shot and chances count significantly.

It didn’t take long for Russia to double their lead as Arshavin scored his first goal of the competition. A cross from Yuri Zhirkov found the striker in the box as the 27-year-old slid home a pretty goal.

Russia continued to push for more but failed to capitalize on a sluggish Swedish side. Both goal scorers had three to four good opportunities each to walk away with a hat trick.

As the final whistle sounded jubilation was felt on, the pitch by the youngest squad at the Euros as they mobbed each other and trainer Guus Hiddink.

The win marks Hiddink's astounding 100% progression record in any major international football competition as he has done so with Australia, South Korea, and The Netherlands. 

The quarter final berth also marks the first time Russia has advanced since the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 1988 the Soviet Union finished runners up to champions Netherlands, the same side they face on Saturday in Basel.

Will Russia's new found offense be enough against Hiddinks former side? Or will the experienced Dutch side pay dividends?