There's a well known Sherlock Holmes story about The Dog That Didn't Bark in the night. By the same token, there's a deep mystery about the Russian who didn't for all intents and purposes play in the European semifinal.
Meaning Andrei Arshavin, the somewhat late flourishing 27-year-old who, suspended from Russian's first two games because he had kicked an opponent, proceeded in the next two against Sweden and Holland to give two supreme performances of skill, flair and style.
Neither the Swedes nor the usually formidable Dutch could do anything with him. In extra time against Holland, he conjured up two memorable goals.
Though Russia without him had crashed to Spain in their opening game, it was expected that once again he would make all the difference to his team. But it didn't happen. One waited and waited for Andrei to make any kind of impact on the game but he remained throughout feeble, forlorn and peripheral.
After the match Guus Hiddink said in this defence, "Of course he can play at the top, but opponents will focus on him and he will have difficult moments." Eh? True, the Spaniards kept the efficient Marcos Senna, 31, in a holding position, but you could hardly say he man marked Andrei out of the game, he simply didn't need too.
Unsure future
Before that fateful match, Andrei announced that it had always been his ambition to play for Barcelona and there were rumours that the Cataoan club was reciprocating his influence. Now will they be so keen to go ahead? For the implication is that Andrei lacks heart rather than talent and perhaps this in some way explains why he should break through with both club and country only at the age of 27. Deeply disappointing and a lesson in how hard it is to predict anything and anybody in football.
Which in a positive way would also apply to the 21-year-old Colin KazimRichards, an astonishing revelation for Turkey when their depleted team put up such a splendid resistance against a lucky Germany. To say that Colin's career had hitherto been largely obscure could be an under statement. His early experiences hardly singled him out for future fame.
He found himself moving up to Bury, then down South to play for modest Brighton. Things looked up when Sheffield United signed him. But when the Euros began he hardly looked more than a peripheral figure.
Unbeatable
When it came to the semifinals, in which he probably wouldn't have been playing had Turkey not been ravaged by injury and suspension, he exceeded from the first, speedy, elusive, a dynamic finisher from the right wing. The much heralded Germany left back, Philippe Lahm, even through he overlapped eventually to score, could no nothing with him. Twice Kazim hit the German crossbar, the second occasion bringing Turkey's goal. He was a revelation.
One waited and waited for Andrei to make any kind of impact on the game but he remained throughout feeble, forlorn and peripheral.
