The day before yesterday, the Russian team won a friendly match with the Latvian team. This game was the last test of the players before the match with the Croats in the qualifying round of the 2006 European Championship. Guus Hiddink made his debut as head coach of our long-suffering team. The Dutch specialist for the first time had the opportunity to see the players in action. On the same day as the match on the “Locomotive” were held and other friendly matches. Moreover, Hiddink was far from the only debutant coach. "First time in first class" their players were led by coaches of the teams of England, Italy, Germany, Brazil and many others.
The Pentacampheon is now coached by Dunga, captain of the national team who won the world gold in the 94th. In his first match (against Norway at a party), he did not refuse the scheme according to which he played his entire conscious life (4-2-2-2), but the squad was redrawn seriously. One must think that Kaka and Ronaldinho will still help the Brazilian team, but for Roberto Carlos or Cafu, the doors to it are most likely already closed - despite the fact that, together with the latter, Dunga once played for Celesao. In the attack, the new coach used the Robinho duo - Fred, and Daniel Carvalho scored the only goal for the Scandinavians. Of the CSKA players, only he entered the field in the starting lineup, Dudu and Wagner Love appeared already towards the end of the match (all three, by the way, had already received challenges for the next matches - with Argentina and Wales). Unexpectedly for many, Ole Gunnar Solskher returned to the Norwegian team, recovering from a severe injury and excellently spent the preseason as part of Manchester United.
The British, led by Steve McLaren, defeated the Greek national team at home. The European champion has recently seemed somehow very uncertain, which the hosts did not fail to take advantage of, having punished the Greeks four times before the break. John Terry, who succeeded David Beckham as captain of the national team, became the author of the first goal. Deciding not to stop there, the newly minted captain at the end of the first 30 minutes struck again on goal. The ball hit the net, however, already from the foot of Frank Lampard, who kept watch on the rebound. Thus, half the work was done. For the second half, just five minutes after the second goal, the Liverpool striker Peter Crouch took over. He had enough time left before the whistle for a break to exactly double upset the goalkeeper of the Greeks Nikopolidis and make the fans rejoice at Old Trafford.
The next successful debutant was the head coach of the German national team Joachim Lev. In a match with the Swedes, his wards showed spectacular football and rightfully scored three goals. The match did not work out for the Swedish players from the very beginning. Already in the fourth minute of the game, midfielder Bernd Schneider forced the captain of the gate of Shaaban to capitulate. It took some four minutes, and the word took Miroslav Klose. The winner of the “Golden Boot” of the last mundial scandinavians scored the second goal. Before the break, the very same Klose completely destroyed the Swedes' hopes for the hospitality of the home team, head closing the canopy of Bastian Schweinsteiger. Thus, Joachim Lev can be satisfied with the "first working day."
The debut of the new head coach of world champions Roberto Donadoni was slightly less successful. The Italian team in the home game was unable to respond to two goals scored by the Croats. And although the “squadra azzurra” appeared before their fans not in the strongest, champion line-up, the achievement of her opponent deserves respect. After all, Donadoni after the match said that his debutants "showed even more than could be expected from them at this stage of preparation for the season." Croats generally successfully play with Italians, at the world and European championships as well. But we should not forget that the Russian national team will begin the next qualifying round just by a match with this Balkan national team.
Anton FILINSKY