Fans hoping for a Russian footballing renaissance under new boss Guus Hiddink were handed a bit of a disappointing result in Russia's Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia.

It was understandable, perhaps, given that Hiddink was missing six first-choice players, all out through injury. There were a few chances against Slaven Bilic's Croatia but despite them, the first game of the Hiddink era ended in a goal-less draw. Meanwhile, plenty of other qualifiers took place across Europe on Wednesday. One result stood out above the rest, Germany putting no less than 13 past San Marino, helped along by seven men scoring for the away side, Lukas Podolski top, scoring with four. Ukraine beat Georgia 3-2. In group E, England scraped a 1-0 win over Macedonia. Bulgaria took all three points against Slovenia. Finland and Portugal played out a draw, as did Poland and Serbia. France questioned the World Cup final result, proving the stronger side over Italy with a 3-1 win.