Dip in fortunes

Much of Russia’s glorious past in world football falls in the era of the erstwhile Soviet Union. The Soviet Union failed to qualify for the World Cup only twice, in 1974 and 1978 whereas Russia qualified only twice — 1994 and 2002 — and endured first round exits.

Soviet Russia went to seven finals in total, with the best finish being a fourth place in 1966. Inspired by goalkeeper Lev Yashin and forward Igor Chislenko, it topped the group and beat a formidable Hungary 2-1. It also qualified for five European Championships, and even won the inaugural edition in 1960. It also earned three second place finishes: 1964, 1972 and 1988.

But following the break-up in 1991, the picture has been far from rosy. In fact the team has progressed past the group stage in a major tournament only once: when it reached the semi-finals of EURO 2008. This fall in fortunes might be due to a diminished pool of players to select from, as the Union broke into several pieces, but it has nonetheless been a history of underachievement. Its record in the European Championships reads thus: bottom of its group in 1996 and 2004 and inexplicable self-destruction when given the easiest of draws in 2012.

The group phase elimination at USA 1994 did have a silver lining. In a crushing 6-1 defeat of Cameroon, Oleg Salenko scored five goals and ended the tournament as joint leading marksman. But 2002 was a failure by all counts. With Oleg Romantsev in charge, one expected Russia to perform well. But instead it lost both to Japan and Belgium. That to date remains the Russians’ last appearance in a World Cup.

The country was ignominious in its finish beneath Portugal and Slovakia in the 2006 qualifiers. Guus Hiddink relieved some pain by taking Russia to the EURO 2008 semi-finals. Soon the country was spoken as one of the dark horses for the coming World Cup in South Africa, two years later. But yet again it failed spectacularly, losing to Slovenia in the World Cup qualification playoffs on November 2009.

The year 2014 offers yet another opportunity for the Russians to get their act together, especially when the country has been awarded the right to host the 2018 World Cup. A fortunate draw does leave the Russian fans hoping for the best, but as before, expecting the worst too.

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‘The Black Spider’

Lev Yashin, nicknamed the “The Black Spider” or “The Black Panther” — dressed head to toe in black — is considered the greatest goalkeeper in the history of the game.

Yashin played in four World Cups from 1958 to 1970. It helped that the tournament in which he left football fans wonderstruck and an everlasting impression on them worldwide was also the first World Cup to be broadcast internationally: Sweden 1958.

Over 150 penalty saves and more than 270 clean sheets dot his career. It also saw silverware in the form of a Gold medal at the 1956 Olympic football tournament and the 1960 European Championships winners medal.

Yashin died in 1990 but the accolades kept coming even after. In 1994 he was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Time Team, and in 1998 chosen a member of the World Team of the 20th Century. In 2002 he was named in the FIFA Dream Team of the history of World Cups. He was also voted the best goalkeeper of the 20th century by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.

Called the ‘Russian Pele’ Eduard Streltsov was widely regarded as one of the Soviet Union’s finest players and is its fourth highest scorer. His skill was such that the back-heeled pass he pioneered came to be known as “Streltsov’s pass” in Russia.

Interestingly he never played a game in the World Cup Finals. But he did help his team reach the 1958 edition by turning out five times in the qualifiers, before a prison sentence for sexual misconduct put him out of action for eight years.

Oleh Blokhin, the all-time top goal-scorer for the Soviet Union national team (42 goals), is also the only player to have been capped over 100 times for the Soviet Union. In 1975, he won the Ballon d’Or, becoming the second Soviet after Yashin in 1963 to win it.

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Footballing minnow

In a continent where football is a way of life for many, Ecuador is probably the most detached of countries from this idea. Its national team has appeared only twice at the FIFA World Cup.

And the first appearance was at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea/Japan. It qualified again four years later for the tournament in Germany and actually made it to the round of 16.

Ecuador first entered the World Cup qualifiers for the 1950 edition in Brazil, but withdrew immediately after. It gave the 1954 and 1958 tournaments a miss as well. But from 1962 to 1998, in spite of 10 attempts, Ecuador failed to qualify for the world’s premier football tournament.

In 2002, the side finished second in the qualifiers, even ahead of eventual champion Brazil. But the visit to South Korea/Japan proved a tough outing. Pitted against Mexico, Italy and Croatia, it finished at the bottom of its group, despite snatching a win over Croatia.

Following the qualifying high of 2002, Ecuador repeated the feat for the 2006 edition too. Helped by the goal-scoring exploits of Agustin Delgado, who had starred in 2002 as well, qualification was achieved, after finishing third in the South America qualifiers.

But the story in Germany was markedly different from the 2002 Finals.

After two victories — 2-0 over Poland and 3-0 over Costa Rica — with Delgado scoring in both, the Ecuadorians surprisingly finished second behind the host nation in its pool and moved to the next round. But a second-half free-kick from England’s David Beckham ended Ecuador’s run.

A record third straight World Cup beckoned for the Republic of Ecuador in 2010, but it finished sixth in its continent.

Another successful qualifying campaign has now given Ecuador its third chance at the World Cup.

Coached by the Columbian Reinaldo Rueda, as has been the case in the past two editions (Hernan Dario Gomez in 2002 and Luis Fernando Suarez in 2006), the team finished fourth in the qualifying. Grouped alongside Switzerland, France and Honduras, the side can indeed hope to go beyond the group stages.

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A national hero

Agustin Delgado is perhaps the most famous of players in a country bereft of footballing stars. The all-time top scorer for the Ecuadorian national team, with 31 goals in 71 games, he made crucial contributions in the two World Cups that Ecuador has been part of - 2002 and 2006.

The first ever goal that Ecuador scored in the World Cup was by Delgado against Mexico in 2002. In fact, he was the joint top-scorer during the South American qualifiers for the 2002 tournament with nine goals, alongside Argentine Hernan Crespo.

Ecuador qualified for the 2006 edition too, thanks again to five goals in 10 games from Delgado. In the Finals, he scored a goal each in Ecuador's shock 2-0 win over Poland and 3-0 victory over Costa Rica, enabling his team to finish second behind Germany and qualify for the last 16. Delgado has also played professional club football in Ecuador, Mexico and England.

Ulises de la Cruz, with 101 caps for his country, is another famous footballing personality in Ecuador. Even off-field, he is popular for his charitable initiatives. He played in the team that reached the second round of the World Cup in 2006.

Nicknamed "las manos del Ecuador" meaning "the hands of Ecuador", Jose Francisco Cevallos is most remembered for his impressive performance in the 2002 World Cup qualifying phase. Earning 77 caps before retiring in 2004, he also played his part in four Copa Americas for Ecuador.

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Shoot-outs have been its Achilles heel

Evidence of a football like kicking game having existed dates back to 15th century Nottinghamshire. The country of England is home to some of the oldest clubs in the world. The oldest tournament is still the English FA Cup competition. In fact the modern game of football was first conceptualised and codified in London in 1863. So England is naturally the home of football.

But for all its rich past, except for a solitary World Cup victory in 1966, England’s record has been abysmal. Where its history could have given the side an impetus to co-opt the game and its premier prize as one of its own, it has instead failed to counter the rising competition that has come with the globalisation of football.

In 13 editions of the Cup, England has only one win, one semifinal and six quarterfinal finishes to boast of. Iconic players have come and gone, but till date, it’s still Alf Ramsey’s ‘Wingless Wonders’ of 1966 who fly high.

England did not enter the competition till 1950. Through the first three Cups in 1930, ’34 and ’38, the English FA dissociated itself from the world body and no amount of pleading and cajoling would convince it to return. In 1950, after a monumental loss to the United States of America it crashed out in the first round. In 1954, it finished in the last eight.

The pattern repeated over the next two editions, a first round exit and a quarterfinal exit each, until the zenith was reached at home in ’66. Bobby Charlton, Geoff Hurst, Gordon Banks et al combined to deliver England’s solitary success. Since then a succession of early exits had to be endured till Bobby Robson, in Italy 1990, came closest to matching the achievements of Alf Ramsey.

After succumbing to a moment each of infamy and brilliance from Diego Maradona in 1986, the side went out in 1990 to Germany in the semifinals, on penalties. Shoot-outs have been its Achilles heel since then for it exited the 1998 and 2006 editions the same way to Argentina and Portugal respectively.

In the 1990s, with the advent of the English Premier League, the popularity of English football rose rapidly. So did people’s expectations both within and outside the country. Stardust was supplied by David Beckham. Foreign managers were roped in — Sven-Goran Eriksson in 2002 and ’06, Fabio Capello in 2010.

Yet, the side never seemed in step. The 4-1 defeat to Germany in 2010 and the resultant 13th place finish was its worst ever in World Cups.

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Shot Stoppers & Strikers

In the pantheon of English stars the World Cup winning trio of Bobby Charlton, Geoff Hurst and Gordon Banks occupy the upper strata. Regarded as one of the finest mid-fielders of all-time, Charlton was capped 106 times by England, scoring 49 goals. He also won the Ballon d'Or in 1966.

To this day, Geoff Hurst remains the only player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final - against Germany in 1966. His second and England's third on the day is still a hot topic for discussion as it is yet unknown whether the ball crossed the line after coming off the underside of the bar.

Famous for one of football's greatest ever saves, when he denied Pele a goal in the 1970 World Cup, Gordon Banks played every game of the 1966 Cup. He was voted the second best goalkeeper of the 20th century by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics after Lev Yashin.

Peter Shilton was in action during two of England's most eventful World Cups since 1966. In 1986, he saw Diego Maradona score the notorious `Hand of God' goal as well as what is widely seen as the greatest goal ever. He made a then world record 125 appearances and retired following England's run to the semis in 1990. Behind Charlton, Gary Linekar is second on the list of all-time highest scorers for England, with 48 goals. Top-scorer at the 1986 Cup (six goals), he is the only Englishman to have won the Golden Boot.

Linekar scored four goals in England's run to the semifinals in 1990, its second best performance ever, before losing to the Germans. He then made the immortal statement: "Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win."

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The ‘Indomitable Lions’ have forgotten to roar

For long, not much was thought of African football. Natural athletes the players from the continent were, but their footballing aesthetics — or the lack of it — were often derided. But it all changed in a matter of 90 minutes, when Cameroon, in the 1990 World Cup Finals in Italy, brought the defending champion Argentina, led by Diego Maradona, down to earth.

But its performance before that (1982) and since then (1994, ‘98, 2002, 2010) has been nothing to write home about. The solitary run to the quarter-finals in 1990 remains its high point, wherein it became the first African team to do so.

Cameroon first competed in the World Cup Finals in 1982, only the fourth African country after Morocco, Zaire and Tunisia to make the grade. It finished the group stage undefeated, drawing all three games, including an impressive 1-1 against eventual champion Italy in its first ever World Cup match. But the side was eliminated as it had scored fewer goals. The year 1990 saw the ‘Indomitable Lions’ reach their pinnacle. After the memorable win over Argentina, legend Roger Milla, 38 then, starred for the side as it became the first ever African side to win its group at the Finals. The run continued and Colombia was accounted for in the second round. The tables were almost turned, this time on England, before Cameroon threw away a 2-1 lead to succumb 3-2.

Milla who became his country’s top scorer at the tournament, told France Football later: “l’ll tell you something. If we had beaten England, Africa would have exploded. Ex-plo-ded. There would have been deaths. The Good Lord knows what he does. Me, I thank him for stopping us in the quarter-finals.”

The 1994 edition in the United States was by and large forgetful. Cameroon lost 3-0 to Brazil, was thrashed 6-1 by Russia and pushed to the bottom of the group. The consolation goal against Russia was scored by Milla, who became the oldest scorer in a World Cup match at 42 years and 39 days.

In 1998, Cameroon finished bottom of its group again with two draws against Austria and Chile and a defeat to Italy.

A group stage exit was repeated in 2002 too, albeit narrowly. It beat Saudi Arabia and drew with Ireland. Only a draw was needed in the final game against Germany. But it lost 2-0.

The side missed out on Germany 2006 when it failed to qualify even after having led its qualification group for most part until the final game. It did go to South Africa in 2010, mainly on the weight of goals from star striker Samuel Eto’o.

Yet again Cameroon crashed out, losing all three games in the first stage, with Eto’o the only saving grace, scoring the only two goals his team managed.

To this day, Eto’o remains a big threat up front. His recent exploits at Chelsea add credence to this. But in recent times his appearances have been sporadic. In addition to him Cameroon does have Nicolas N'Koulou, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Aurelien Chedjou and Alex Song among others. But will it be enough for a country which having once shown the way forward for African football has stuttered thereafter?

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The dancing star

Roger Milla is undoubtedly Cameroon's foremost World Cup legend, whose crowning moment was the 1990 edition in Italy. Included in the team at the behest of the country's then president Paul Biya, after having retired three years previously, he top scored for Cameroon without starting a single game. Two braces each against Romania and Colombia helped his team register its best ever ?nish in the World Cup Finals - the quarter-finals.

He returned in 1994, at 42 years and 39 days, in the United States, to break his own record as the World Cup's oldest goal scorer-in the 6-1 thrashing by Russia.

Francois Omam-Biyik's greatest moment also came in the 1990 edition when his header ensured a monumental 1-0 victory at the San Siro over the Diego Maradona-led Argentine team, which was also the defending champion.

Asked later if it was indeed his greatest moment, he told the Guardian: "It was one of them. The best moment, if I can stretch the de?nition of the word, was the whole of that wonderful time we spent in Italy - the experience we gained, the atmosphere, and the money."

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