Andy Potts
Slovenia 1 Russia 0 (2-2 on aggregate, Slovenia win on away goals)
Russia's World Cup hopes came to a bitter end with a disjointed display against Slovenia costing them a place in next summer's finals in South Africa.
And the defeat - inflicted by Zlatko Dedic's 44th-minute goal - raises questions about the future of inspirational coach Guus Hiddink, barely a year after he was hailed as a hero for leading the team to the European Championship semi-finals.
The Dutchman, who reinstated a sense of pride and belief in Russian football after years in the doldrums, has been linked with club posts at the likes of Real Madrid and Chelsea, where he served as interim coach last season.
Meanwhile as his side produced an occasionally shambolic defence of the 2-1 lead they had earned in Moscow on Saturday, questions about his tactics began to surface.
Hiddink still has the support of Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, who said the Dutchman was mulling over a new contract to lead Russia through the qualifying cycle for the 2012 Euros.
"I think Guus should continue to work," Mutko told Sovietsky Sport. "Our team has a good future, there is a strong foundation in place. Guus squeezed everything he could out of this team, but we still have a psychological problem with major tournaments."
For his part, Hiddink held an impromptu press conference from the steps of the team bus in Maribor, telling reporters: "We will make a final decision [about my future] in January or February next year.
"Of course I am upset that we didn't qualify for the finals - but life doesn't stop there. And, as you know, I am contracted to Russia until July 2010."
With Chelsea FC Roman Abramovich believed to be paying a good chunk of Hiddink's wages on behalf of the Russian Football Union, and known to be an admirer of the Dutchman's work, one possible outcome could see the coach return to Stamford Bridge as director of football alongside current manager Carlo Ancelotti.
That might enable him to remain in charge of the Russian team, with Abramovich likely to be understanding of the need to split his time between the two sides.
But many fans feel there will be a new man in the dug-out by the time Russia return to competitive action next autumn.
Marc Bennetts, author of Football Dynamo, told RIA Novosti: "It is not clear what will happen to Hiddink now. Questions will surely be asked about his tactics and team selection for both the play-offs and the qualifier against Germany."
And some commentators have even suggested this might be welcome. Sovietsky Sport's Yury Tsibanev claimed the team was "totally unprepared" for the game in Slovenia and suggested bringing in "someone more familiar with the Russian make-up" might be an improvement.
Some of Russia's problems in the two games with Slovenia were out of Hiddink's control - the failure to convert good chances in the first leg, the controversial sending off of striker Alexander Kerzhakov in the second game - but the generally uninspiring performance in Maribor echoed earlier flawed showings away from home.
As early as March the coach was under fire after choosing not to attend any of the opening rounds of the Russian championship before selecting his squad to face Liechtenstein and Azerbaijan. Two narrow wins over those minnows were enough to damp down the critics, and a convincing win in Helsinki suggested all was well.
But in the crunch match against Germany Hiddink opted to play cautiously - with a packed house ready to roar their team on to a death-or-glory charge, his safety-first approach was punished as the visitors were able to get a grip on the game and grind out a dour 1-0 win.
And in Slovenia last night all those familiar defensive frailties that have plagued Russia on big occasions returned. From the opening stages Sergei Ignashevitch and Vasily Berezutsky looked uncertain at the heart of the defence.
Going forward, while Yury Zhirkov posed a threat - and perhaps came closest to grabbing an equalizer with a fierce close-range effort beaten away by goalkeeper Samir Handanovic - there was little joy for the illustrious likes of Andrei Arshavin or the two-goal first-leg hero Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.
And a red card for Alexander Kerzhakov, perhaps harshly expelled after lashing out at a loose ball and catching Handanovic with a stray boot, followed by Zhirkov's stoppage time dismissal as he frantically tried to retrieve the ball from the touchline to launch a last, desperate attack, summed up an evening where nothing went right for Russia.
Russia's neighbours Ukraine also failed in their bid to reach the World Cup finals. They lost 1-0 at home to Greece in Donetsk, following a 0-0 draw in Athens on Saturday.
