Well, you have to hand it Guus Hiddink because after the mauling his young Russian team suffered at the hands of the effervescent Spanish in their opening fixture, it looked as if the Russian's stay in Euro 2008 would be a short one. But Hiddink encouraged them to keep the faith and his young team have handsomely repayed him and then some! By putting the Oranje to sword, the Russians have made the footballing world sit up and take notice. This is the Oranje side that had caused us to reminisce, by the manner in which they beaten both World Cup finalists, about the total football displayed by the Oranje team of 10 years ago that dispatched the South Koreans 5-1 and prompted the South Korean football federation to make Guus Hiddink their coach - he was the Oranje coach at the time.
Ultimately, Hiddink outmanoeuvred van Basten and has served to reinforce his credentials as a master tactician. He has taken the Oranje & South Korea to the semi-finals of the World Cup, the Australians to a World Cup and now in Russia he has an opportunity to win his first European championship.
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