Russia ride Pavlyuchenko's luck

Two-goal hero Roman Pavlyuchenko scoffed at suggestions that Russia "got lucky" in their 2-1 win against England as the country's morning newspapers hailed a major triumph.

'They've done it!'
With headlines such as "They've done it!" and "Going crazy!" screaming from the Moscow newsstands this morning, Russia's victory at the Luzhniki Stadium has put them back on course for UEFA EURO 2008™ – which prospect hardly seemed likely when they trailed England midway through the second half last night. But two goals, the first a penalty, from substitute Pavlyuchenko have resurrected the Group E chances of Guus Hiddink's side.

'Calm inside'
"Some will say we got lucky, but it is the ones who deserve it and want it most who get lucky," said 25-year-old FC Spartak Moskva striker Pavlyuchenko. "At 2-1, I was sure we would win. There was plenty of time left and the English were pouring forward, but I suddenly felt calm inside." Vladimir Gabulov, who stood in for injured goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, added: "The most important thing is that we did not concede a second goal. For that, the football god has rewarded us."

Israel concern
Konstantin Zyrianov, the oldest Russia player on the pitch at just 30 years old, was fouled by England goalscorer Wayne Rooney to earn the penalty that got Russia back into the game. He sounded a note of caution, with Russia still needing wins in Israel and Andorra to be sure of qualification. "Israel are not going to give us three points just like that," he said. "But for now, the most important thing is that we have given our people a reason to celebrate."

Cool assessment
Coach Hiddink has also kept his cool, offering the following summary of events: "I know for sure that England don't like playing under pressure. By and large, no team can defend all the time during a match. England have excellent defenders but they're not perfection personified. After we conceded the goal, we kept dominating the match. We were trying to play our game and we managed to finish off the opponents."

'Luck and skill'
Midfielder Igor Semshov added: "The reason we won was a combination of luck and skill. If we played England tomorrow or in a week's time, it's not certain we would win. Today, the stars were in our favour." Winger Yuri Zhirkov continued: "The England players are people just like us. They are a good team but beatable. Today we proved that. Everyone knew defeat would leave us with no chance of getting to the finals. That was the only thought that entered our heads."