|
Russia
After missing out on the 1998 finals, Russia is back on football's world stage. And it deserves to be here after successfully juggling a tough qualifying group that included Yugoslavia, Slovenia and Switzerland.
Although far from being as strong as the Soviet teams of the 1980s, this Russian side has a good mix of experience and young talent that could cause opponents a lot of trouble.
As the countdown to the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan continues, CNNSI.com's Pedro Pinto takes a close look at all of the nations that will contend for football's greatest prize.
Pinto is an anchor on World Sport, the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
 |
Manager Oleg Romantsev has quietly built a balanced side that depends largely on two midfield maestros: Alexander Mostovoi and Valery Karpin. The two Celta stars orchestrate most offensive moves, while they also drop back to help recover possession.
But let's face it, this team has quality players in every position. Goalkeeper Ruslan Nigmatullin was the main reason Russia conceded only five goals in 10 games. In front of him, the defense is full of solid veteran performers like Victor Onopko and Yuri Nikiforov; joining Karpin and Mostovoi in midfield are two world-class wingers in Dmitri Aleinitchev and Yegor Titov, while up front promising youngster Marat Izmailov and Vladimir Beschastnykh make for a deadly duo.
|
 |
| |
 |
|
Vladimir Beschastnykh. Led Russia in goalscoring during qualifying, netting eight goals in 10 games. Scored a first half hat trick in a 4-0 cup-clinching win over the Swiss and also hit the back of the net in 1-0 away wins at Yugoslavia and Switzerland. Has found his form since moving back to Spartak Moscow after a couple of unsuccessful stints in Western Europe.
|
|
 |
|
Depth. Russia has a good starting 11, but there is not much quality on the bench. This problem is especially noticeable at the back. Taking away the four regular starters, the other defenders have little or no international experience, at club or national team level.
|
|
 |
|
| |
Marat Izmailov. He has been called the Russian Michael Owen, but is he ready to make an impact on the world stage? The 19-year-old has been stellar in his short international career and has also raised eyebrows at Lokomotiv Moscow with his mazy dribbling skills. He became the third-youngest player to play for Russia when he made his international debut in August of last year. Romantsev hopes he can deal with the pressure in the finals and create goalscoring chances for Beschastnykh.
|
 |
|
Russia finished first in Europe's Group 1. They won seven, drew two and lost one of their 10 games. The Russians scored 18 goals and conceded five.
|
|
| |
The former Soviet Union qualified for the finals seven times, achieving a fourth place finish in 1966. The Russian state played at the 1994 World Cup (placing 18th) and after missing out on the '98 finals, is back to the tournament eight years later.
|
 |
|
Few have talked about Russia being a factor at the World Cup, but the truth is that it has what it takes to make it into the quarterfinals. They have a well-oiled engine that worked wonders in qualifying and can put together a good run in the finals. A lot could depend on Beschastnykh, who has to be at his best if Russia is going to go anywhere.
|
How far will Russia go in the World Cup? View Instant Poll Results
|
|
