Russia, led by their Dutch coach Guus Hiddink and playmaker Andrei Arshavin, have arguably been the most exciting team at Euro 2008. They beat Holland 3-1 on Saturday in the side's best performance since the break up of the U.S.S.R., and face Spain in a semifinal match on Thursday in Austria's capital, Vienna.
"The police will take special control of sport bars and all other facilities, which have TV-screens and monitors for the live broadcast of the match," Viktor Biryukov, a spokesman for Moscow's department of the Russian Interior Ministry, said.
Moscow witnessed major disturbances after the Russian national side lost 0-1 in their World Cup group match in Yokohama in Japan in 2002. After the match against Japan, which was broadcast on large screens in downtown Moscow, crowds of people upset by the defeat went on the rampage in the center.
As a result of the disturbances one man died, a police officer was stabbed, over 100 were injured, some 20 cars were set on fire, a teenager attempted suicide and shop windows along Moscow's main streets were smashed.
