The chances of the teams in Group E to make it to Euro-2008, which will be played in Austria and Switzerland next summer, are simple to calculate. The Croats already have one, if one might say so. The second chance will be fought out between Russia and England. The Israelis, defeated by the visiting English team 0-3, have lost all hope.
In the past round, 3-0 has been the most common result in the group. Russia playing at home scored three unanswered goals against Macedonia. But while England played a "one-way" game against Israel, Russia might have faced a different result fifteen minutes from time with the score at 1-0, had Macedonian defender Igor Mitreski put in a penalty shot.
Traditional polls on some Internet websites formulated their question very precisely: "Who saved Russia's national team? Vladimir Gabulov, Vyacheslav Malafeyev, or Igor Mitreski?" Gabulov, the goalkeeper of the initial line-up, was compelled to foul at a critical moment when the Russian defenders "slackened up". He was ordered off the pitch and a penalty was called. Malafeyev, the goalkeeper who replaced him, parried the penalty kick. Mitreski, who played for Spartak Moscow for several seasons and is now with German Energie, put a delicate kick into the corner where the goalie was already falling. So who saved the day? All three of them.
The standard of the Macedonian team was played up before the game (as was the case ahead of last year's match). They were not described in the usual roundabout phrases of tournaments "there are no weak rivals in Europe now" or "maximum effort should be made in games against everyone". On the contrary, the pundits worked themselves into a veritable lather over the high qualifications of the Slovenian coach Srecko Katanec, the attacking style of Goran Pandev, the forward from Rome Lazio, and Igor Mitreski's ability to read the game... Macedonia was portrayed as if it were one of the leaders of the group, and would have to be fought tooth and nail for six points.
Actually, before the Moscow match the Macedonian national team ranked 67th in the monthly updated FIFA world rankings chart. They stood fifth among Group E teams. They also ranked fifth in the table, winning seven points in seven matches and scoring six goals altogether. With the exception of Slovenia, Macedonia lags way behind other post-Yugoslav teams such as Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ratings are, of course, to be taken with a pinch of salt. It is said they do not always show the true state of things or the real alignment of forces. They may not always do so, but the margin of error is small, and in the situation before the Russia-Macedonia game they did. One of the main arguments in favor of the Macedonian team was its goalless draw against England. The result is good. But Macedonia's 0-0 against England is an anomaly, the kind of surprise that is registered in soccer history from time to time.
This brings us to rating standings in other qualifier groups. In Group E, for example, the aggregate rating of teams that ranked from first to fourth before the match against Macedonia was 75, while in Group B, where the two places in Austria and Switzerland were contested by the national teams of Italy, France, Ukraine and Scotland, 45.
Ratings aside, there were some fears before the match, due to injuries to two key Russian players - Ivan Sayenko, who performed well in the match against Poland in midfield, and Yury Zhirkov, who played steady throughout the season.
In matches of this kind, when it is known that the guests are going to put up a stonewall defense and rely on speedy counter-attacks, the so-called "quick goal" sets the tone. The Russian footballers scored in the 6th minute and should be well aware that England plans to do the same on Wednesday. Alexander Uvarov, the well-known former goalkeeper for the U.S.S.R., now working with Israeli goalkeepers, warned the Russian team of dangerous English attacks in the early part of the match. Uvarov believes that if Russia is able to stand firm in the first half-hour, it may well leave London without losing.
If the Russian team, which is above the English team in FIFA's world rankings, is able to share points with England (say it draws both matches, or loses in London and wins in Moscow), it will go on to Euro-2008 together with the Croats. In the event of "sharing", the Russian team is unlikely to lose its away matches against Israel and Andorra.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.
