Confederations Cup 2017: Russia hoping for success on and off the field
The Confederations Cup has shed a spotlight on Russian soccer, on and off the field, and the hosts hope not to disappoint ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
Russia will be at the center of the soccer universe in 12 months time. The Confederations Cup that began last weekend is just a sampling of what we can expect next summer. The tournament is a great dry run for organizers and a real opportunity to iron out any problems. It’s also a time for the country’s national team to rebuild morale following a string of poor performances and gain experience against top-level competition.
The country has a rich and proud sports tradition. Russia (and the Soviet Union before that) epitomized sports greatness for much of the 20th century. The former USSR, and the Communist regime that ran it, excelled at track and field, gymnastics, figure skating and hockey at both the Olympics and a variety of international competitions.
In soccer, the team experienced its heyday during the 1960s, winning the first-ever European Championship in 1960 and finishing fourth at the 1966 World Cup. To this day that remains the best finish by a Russian or Soviet team at the senior level. It enjoyed some success in the 1980s, just a few years before the collapse of the Iron Curtain, when it finished runner up at Euro 88 after losing to a Netherlands team in the final that featured superstars Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten.
These days, Russian soccer is in the midst of a crisis. Off the field, Russia has had to curb fan violence and incidents of racism and xenophobia. While World Cup organizers have had to deal with the potential for hooliganism and inappropriate behavior in the stands, none of it has materialized over the past week. The government, meanwhile, has tried to crack down on such incidents in recent years, despite a call from a Russian lawmaker last month to make hooliganism a spectator sport.
Over the past week, dozens of troublemakers, including a notorious fan leader, were banned from the Confederations Cup after their government-issued “fan IDs” were canceled. Fan leader Alexander Shprygin, twice expelled from France last year following violence between Russian and English fans in Marseille during Euro ‘16, told the Associated Press that his ID was canceled this past week, one of 50 such cases he has heard of since the start of the tournament.
On the field, it’s been a mixed bag. Gone are the days when Russian players were sought by Europe’s biggest clubs. The current national team roster is made up entirely of domestic-based players affiliated with Russian Premier League clubs. Russian teams are not very competitive in the Champions League or Europa League. The country’s national team hasn’t been a contender at a major tournament since its third-place finish at the 2008 European Championship. That’s the adversity Russia faces on the field as they prepare for the 2018 World Cup.
At this Confederations Cup, the Russians defeated New Zealand with ease in their first match, 2-0, but were unable to make a dent against Portugal, losing 1-0 in their second. The crowd of 50,000 at the Krestovsky Stadium in St. Petersburg (that included President Vladimir Putin) who witnessed the victory against the Oceania champions made them forget the poor showing the team had at Euro 2016. Despite the problems that may take place off the field next year, it will be up to the Russian players to make sure the country’s morale remains high by succeeding on the field. Although they’ll get a favorable draw as the host nation, there are no certainties they’ll be able to get past the group stage. The fans, of course, expect nothing less.
“We have a very difficult target at the Confederations Cup — to make the Russian people fall in love with the national team again,” striker Fedor Smolov, who scored the second goal against New Zealand, told The Guardian.
Against the Kiwis this past Saturday, the Russians played an entertaining brand of soccer, unafraid to attack with their 3-5-2 formation, and exuded a confidence only a team playing at home could enjoy. That’s what this team, coached by Russian league veteran Stanislav Cherchesov, need to bottle up and replicate on a consistent basis over the next year. They will need that to do well at the World Cup. Sure, New Zealand are a minnow, but a victory is something this Russian team needed in their first game if they want to reach the Confederations Cup semifinals. Fans and pundits alike called it a win the Russians could build on. The real storyline, however, could have been Russia’s wasted chances and inability to run up the score.
“After the Euros everybody hated us,” Smolov said. “Now people can see the national team has spirit, and is like a family, and maybe that’s why our performances have got better.”
The game on Wednesday against Portugal, a higher-caliber opponent, revealed Russia’s weaknesses. Moscow’s Olkrytiye Arena was abuzz, but the Russians got off to a poor start and fell behind after just eight minutes to a Cristiano Ronaldo header. The hosts’ conservative tactics hurt them in the first half, but the team made a real go of it in the second 45 minutes. Cherchesov’s men played with some pizzazz and vigor for much of the second half, but Ronaldo and his teammates held on for the victory. Once again, squandered chances played a big role.
But Cherchesov blamed the defeat on Ronaldo, not his players’ inability to puncture the Portuguese defense. “We lost him but it’s not just us, look at how many Ballons d’Or he has!” he told reporters, referring to Ronaldo’s four FIFA Player of the Year awards.
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In order for Russia to advance to the semifinals, they need a win Saturday against Mexico in Kazan. It doesn’t seem so ironic that for Russia the time of must-win games starts a year before the main event. The game at Kazan Arena will be yet another test for organizers nervously sitting in the stands and the Russian players who will take the field. Both will give it their all to achieve success. This is no time for wasted chances.