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Portugal: Victory over Russia May Only Be Postponing More Inevitable Heartbreak
Published: June 7, 2013
Over the last 15 years, both have failed to secure a spot at the high table at least once. For two of Europe’s most dominant national sides, and two countries that like to think of themselves as footballing powerhouses, the disappointments have been particularly hard to bear.
Both missed out on a place at France ’98. Portugal, inspired by the Golden Generation, the likes of Rui Costa, Luis Figo and Joao Pinto, got off to a bad start and never recovered—pipped to the post by Germany and Ukraine.
Russia fared slightly better, managing to finish second in their group, only to draw Italy in the play-offs and miss out thanks to a Pierluigi Casiraghi winner in the Stadio San Paolo, Naples.
Worse was to come for Russia during the qualifying campaigns of the last decade.
In 2006, when drawn against current opposition Portugal, they failed to escape the group; they trailed both the Selecao and minnows Slovakia—on goal difference.
Four years later, drawn against neighbouring Slovenia, the side, then managed by Guus Hiddink, arrived at the nadir of a disappointing decade.
Confident of securing a place at the South Africa World Cup, the Russian Federation debuted a new, flashy national strip ahead of the crucial play-off—anticipating that all would be well and that comfortable passage would be secured.
It wasn’t to be.
The golden eagle, emblazoned upon rich red shirts with a regal gold trim, looked a lot less majestic as Zlatko Dedic’s winner sent Slovenia, and not Russia, to Africa’s first World Cup.
Having read my fair share of Russian literature, I know that they are a nation acutely aware of the perils of hubris…not so, it seemed, Hiddink and Co.
It was in this context that...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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