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Digg ThisMOSCOW, June 27 (Reuters) - A rock concert welcomed Russia's Euro 2008 squad on their return to Moscow on Friday after their impressive run to the semi-finals.
Defeated 3-0 by Spain in Vienna on Thursday, Guus Hiddink's men still registered their country's best performance at a major tournament in 20 years.
A few hundred fans danced to music and waved flags as the team stood on the stage outside Moscow's Luzhniki stadium, where Russia had beaten England last year during qualifying.
"At the start of the tournament we said if we got to the quarter-final it would be a success, but we got to the semi-finals," coach Hiddink told Vesti television earlier at the airport.
Russia, inspired by playmaker Andrei Arshavin when he returned from a suspension for their first two games, went on to beat much-fancied Netherlands 3-1 in the quarter-finals, a victory which triggered wild celebrations across the country. (Writing by James Kilner; editing by Trevor Huggins)
