First Zenit St. Petersburg wins the UEFA Cup, then Russia has the honor of hosting the Champion’s League final between Chelsea and Manchester United, and now, today, for the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian national selection defeated Sweden 2-0 in the Euro Cup 2008 have advanced to the quarter finals with authoritative swagger and energy. It was a critical elimination game for Russia, which has never defeated Sweden in its 95 year history of matches, and brilliantly-worked goals by Roman Pavlyuchenko and Andrei Arshavin assured that the team is ready to play with the big boys. Congratulations, Russia! We’ll all be cheering you on against the Dutch!