Russia 4 - Czech Republic 1: A Red Storm Rising

By thoroughly defeating the Czech Republic 4-1, Russia made a very loud statement to begin their Euro 2012 campaign.  After the initial whistle, it seemed the opposite was more likely.  The Czech Republic controlled the pace of the game during the initial fifteen minutes.  It appeared that they were the better team and would dominate possession.  However, things change very quickly on the pitch.

Russian prodigy Alan Dzagoev put Russia on top in the 15^th minute as they capitalized on a counter attack.  This was the watershed moment of the game.  After Dzagoev’s goal it appeared that the Russians were coming in waves, while the Czech defense had few answers.  The Russian counter attack was ruthless.  The Russians had unmarked guys all over the field.  What the Czech defense and midfield were doing is a mystery to me.  It only took the Russians nine minutes to add their second goal when Roman Shirokov buried Andrei Arshavin’s through ball in the 24^th minute.  This pattern followed until halftime.  The Czechs had a few opportunities but were not able to put one past the Russian keeper, Vyacheslav Malafeev.

The Czechs showed some fight at the outset of the second half.  Vaclav Pilar gave the Czechs hope when he put them on the scoreboard in the 52^nd minute.  Pilar was setup quite nicely into a one-on-one with the keeper. He faked the keeper to his left, went right, and buried the ball in the net.  Pilar’s goal rejuvenated the previously dejected Czechs.  They created several opportunities, but Malafeev was too strong.  When Tomas Rosicky blasted a low shot from twenty yards out, Malafeev made a superb save without allowing a rebound as Czech forward Milan Baros was waiting to pounce.  In addition, Czech midfielder Petr Jiracek stood out as he provided a consistent threat to the Russians with his effective runs down the left flank.

With the Czechs desperately trying to get the equalizer, the Russian counter attack put the game out of reach in the 79^th minute when Roman Pavlyuchenko set up Dzagoev for his second goal from about fifteen yards out.  Dzagoev hit it cleanly and drove it into the corner.  Although it was a fantastic strike, I think Czech goalie Petr Cech should have made the save.  Cech reacted too late and it was only a matter of time until the Russians celebrated their victory.  However, before the celebration took place Pavlyuchenko provided a fantastic goal with a contested shot from the eighteen yard line.  The defense gave him too much respect by allowing him the ability to turn the way he did.  Pavlyuchenko’s performance will undoubtedly frustrate Tottenham supporters who witnessed him do very little in a club uniform.

This game provided a lot of excitement with five goals on the record sheet.  It is obvious that we should have included Dzagoev in our top-five breakout player list.  Dzagoev is fun to watch.  He has great vision, a deadly right foot, and nerves of steel. He constantly moves into position to receive the ball and make plays.  Players such as Arsenal’s Andrei Arshavin and Lokomotiv Moscow’s Pavlyuchenko have not performed well for their club, but looked like superstars today.  If Arshavin played like this for the Gunners he would be a fan favorite and they would have competed for the Premier League title.  It is obvious that he is in the form that made him a household name during Euro 2008. 

In addition, the Russian counter attack is a force to be reckoned with, which will give caution to the Poles and Greeks.  While the media will most likely hype the Russians as one of the tournament favorites, I am not ready to. Though they played very well, they faced an incredibly bad Czech defense.  I am shocked at how bad they are.  The Czechs usually field a strong team, and I am disappointed to see them look so weak in the back.  They left men unmarked, their midfield was often unable to get back on defense, they often lacked creativity, and they respected the Russians as if they were the Brazilians.  Currently, the odds of the Czechs going through are pretty low. Unfortunately, I picked the Czechs to advanced based off of their reputation.  Most, if not, all of the Russians and Czechs play in their domestic leagues and I do not get the opportunity to watch.  Without Guus Hiddink coaching the Russians, I thought their level of play would drop.  It appears that I was severely wrong after day one.

By Jeff Graceffo