Russia hit by Pogrebnyak's Euro exit

VIENNA, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Russia's Pavel Pogrebnyak has been ruled out of Euro 2008 due to a knee injury, tournament organizers UEFA said on Saturday.

The Zenit St. Petersburg striker finally gave up hope of playing at the finals after failing to recover from a knee cartilage problem, sustained after opening the scoring in Russia's 2-1 win over Serbia in an exhibition game on May 28.

Pogrebnyak, joint top scorer in the UEFA Cup campaign, was a key player in Guus Hiddink's Euro 2008 plans and his absence is a big blow to Russia.

But UEFA has given Russia permission to replace the 24-year-old with midfielder Oleg Ivanov.

Organizers said on its official website www.uefa.com that it was a "natural replacement" since the Russian camp had called in UEFA's medical commission to examine Pogrebnyak's knee injury.

Pogrebnyak has not trained in days, but coach Guus Hiddink did not give up hope of him appearing in the group stage until Saturday.

The uncapped Ivanov, 21, has been training with the team in Russia's base at Leogang.

The Euro 2008 exit is a double-dose of heartache for Pogrebnyak as he missed out on his club side's final triumph over Scottish side Rangers through suspension.

Russia start against group favorites Spain on Tuesday in Innsbruck, before going on to face holders Greece and Sweden.