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Sweden fans: Impressive in Innsbruck
The French departed the Euro 2008 party on Tuesday night - having contributed very little - while our trip to Switzerland was also coming to an end. On Wednesday morning, we were back at the Hauptbahnhof ready to board the train going across the border to Innsbruck, where the Group D showdown between Russia and Sweden would take place.
The four-hour journey was stunning, the railway winding through green valleys between Alpine peaks shrouded in cloud. Our carriage was mostly filled with Swedes, the odd Russian and also several Spain fans, with the train going on to Salzburg after reaching Innsbruck. Our group of three - myself, and my friends Steve and Ed - added some novelty value, being three Englishmen at a football tournament where our country does not appear to be greatly missed. With my GCSE German badly in need of a refresher course, I picked up some pronunciation tips from a local Austrian girl and one word in particular caused great amusement to our fellow passengers, so here's a warning - don't try to use the German word for cake in Sweden, or you might get a shock.
Breathtaking
After carefully selecting three ham rolls at Innsbruck station, we changed trains and headed to Seefeld-in-Tirol. The town is usually a base for winter sports enthusiasts but with Innsbruck itself struggling to cope with accommodation for thousands of extra visitors, this summer season is proving to be equally busy. The views from our hotel room balcony are breathtaking but we would have to wait to fully appreciate them as (following your correspondent's last blog) we were back on the train to Innsbruck.
The atmosphere on the Fan Mile was already at fever pitch, and we attempted to blend in - I was wearing my Sweden T-shirt, Ed was in yellow too (another airing for the Torquay United FA Trophy Final merchandise) while Steve was in his satirical Michel Platini T-shirt. If a UEFA official spotted him, Steve could have been thrown out of the tournament but he felt it was worth taking the risk.
Legions
The Swedish fans appeared to outnumber their Russian counterparts about 10 to one in the town centre, and after a refreshing pint of Zipfer we found ourselves at the end of the Fan Mile in preparation for the 'Sweden March'. It's a pre-match tradition among their legions of travelling supporters to assemble en masse and then parade to the stadium, singing their anthems and waving huge flags. The citizens of Innsbruck lined the streets to applaud the yellow army as it passed by; an awesome sight, and great to be a part of. We feared being discovered as interlopers so decided that, if asked, I was from Hammarby while Steve was a resident of Halmstad and Ed was a Vastra Frolunda fan (except when they play Torquay in the UEFA Cup, he stressed admirably).
The Tivoli Neu is usually a 17,400-capacity venue when club side FC Wacker Innsbruck are in action, but three huge temporary stands have been constructed for Euro 2008 to bring attendances up to 32,000. We were in the top tier, to the right of the Russian fans - who may not have been too visible in the Fan Mile, but here were out in force. And after two rousing renditions of the national anthems, it was time for kick-off.
Fluency
Russia, with Andriy Arshavin back in the side after suspension, set about Sweden right from the start and moved the ball around with a style and fluency we had not previously seen - either in qualifying, or in their opening games against Spain and Greece. Guus Hiddink had clearly got his men fired up, and with attacking left-back Yuri Zhirkov prominent in almost every attack, they pinned their opponents inside their own half. Frontman Roman Pavlyuchenko spurned at least two well-crafted chances before sweeping Russia ahead after a crisp series of passes, orchestrated by Arshavin.
Henrik Larsson battled gamely up front for Sweden and almost equalised with a looping header which clipped the bar, but his strike partner Zlatan Ibrahimovic - on target in the two previous games - again went missing when his country badly needed him. Russia looked capable of scoring every time they came forward and it was no surprise when, after five minutes of the restart, Arshavin netted their second goal after some superb play down the left from Zhirkov. Sweden kept plugging away in search of a route back into the game, but Igor Akinfeev was never seriously tested - unlike opposite number Andreas Isaksson, who kept having to beat out long-range shots from Arshavin and co. The final whistle was greeted with delirium by the Russian fans, who will now head off to Basel to watch their team play Hiddink's former charges Holland. If both teams play to their potential, that could be full of goals.
Having eaten little all day, a late supper of fajitas in an excellent Mexican restaurant was just reward for our endeavours. And with the Russians still dancing on the streets of Innsbruck, we returned to the station where we discovered an unwanted cardboard cut-out of Austria's Emanuel Pogatetz, chucked out with the bins. It was a poignant reminder that the defeated are soon forgotten - and for the gloomy Sweden fans too, it's the end of the line.
Comments (3)
Rob Francis (Coventry City fan) says...
Mis-spelling of Hammarby aside, nice article! Hammarby are based in the south of Stockholm and are the best supported club in Sweden, despite being pretty average. They are known as Bajen, for some reason. Vastra Frolunda is from Gothenburg. Halmstad is a nice place with a great beach. ATAF.
Posted 17:19 19th June 2008
The editor says.... Ed has never been to Gothenburg, but says it is his spiritual home. How are Ventspils getting on this season? J
Dan Faries (Rotherham United fan) says...
Cheers for providing us with an insight of the atmosphere from Austria and Switzerland. It doesn't appear that thousands of English fans are being missed by Josef Publik over there. Watching an excellent Russia team win reminded me how inept the FA are. Why didn't they just go after Guus Hiddink in 2006 instead of placing him on a shortlist with Alladyce and McClaren which he was obviously insulted by? He might have already agreed to go to Russia but I can't help think what a different summer it might have been for us if England had 'supercoach' in charge.
Posted 13:00 19th June 2008
The editor says.... Hiddink got his tactics spot on on Wednesday, but he also proved he was a great motivator as Russia began with a much better attitude. He lived up to his 'supercoach' status! J
Daniele Gizz (Fulham fan) says...
I dont understand football rules, but I love Fulham.. Netball's more fun, I like the shorts..
Posted 12:46 19th June 2008