Pavlyuchenko preaching caution for Russia

Striker Roman Pavlyuchenko has stressed that Russia "are not celebrating yet", despite being left needing only a point against minnows Andorra on Tuesday to book their ticket to UEFA EURO 2012 following their 1-0 victory in Slovakia.

Alan Dzagoev made the difference for the visitors after scoring with a deflected effort 19 minutes from time in Zilina, his goal keeping Russia two points clear of the Republic of Ireland and ending the home side's hopes of qualifying for Poland and Ukraine.

"We played with passion and you could see that on the faces of all the Russian players," said Pavlyuchenko. "We didn't really play brilliant football but we've got the three points and that's what counts in the end. It's not over yet, though. We are not celebrating yet; we need to take one last step. But we have to say a big thank you to all the fans who travelled such a long distance and who supported us throughout the match."

Goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev was in a similarly cautious mood after the triumph. "We're very happy with this win, but it's not the end of the campaign yet," he said. "We cannot underestimate Andorra, but I hope it's within our ability to finish off in real style, grab three points from the last game and qualify in first place.

"It was tough for us when Roman [Shirokov] missed a great chance, but luckily we scored later and it was enough. There were several fantastic moments in our play. We only won 1-0, but the fans got to enjoy some good football. We have a great team at the moment, which has been put together well. Dzagoev played a great match."

For Russia coach Dick Advocaat, the result was just reward for his side's efforts on the night. "We played a match of great importance for both teams," explained the Dutchman. "We had several good chances and we should have scored sooner than we did. We didn't let Slovakia play; we had more possession, controlled the ball and kept the Slovaks far away from our goal. We did an excellent job and we're happy."

There was great disappointment in the Slovakia ranks, in contrast, with the sense of a chapter being closed underlined by Miroslav Karhan immediately announcing his international retirement after winning his 107th cap.

As for Liverpool FC defender Martin Škrtel, the defeat came only a few hours after he became a father for the first time following the birth of his son Matteo. "I was thinking about it, of course, but I was able to concentrate on the game," he said. "We created enough chances but we weren't able to score. We still have a young team, though, so we have to retain perspective."

Midfielder Juraj Kucka felt Slovakia lacked a little fortune, meanwhile. "I don't think Russia were much better than us," he said. "It was a somewhat lucky win and for the fourth or fifth time we've let in a deflected goal. We're sad, but we have to prepare for Tuesday's game against Macedonia and we have to win in Skopje."