Romantsev selected Kerzhakov for the 2002 FIFA World Cup as one of four strikers alongside Vladimir Beschastnykh, Ruslan Pimenov, and Dmitri Sychev. He was on the bench for Russia's first two games against Tunisia and Japan but came on for Valery Karpin against Belgium in the 82nd minute and provided an assist for Sychev in an eventual 3–2 defeat. After Romanstev's sacking, new manager Valery Gazzaev made Kerzhakov a regular call up in the squad. Just prior to the start of the UEFA Euro 2004 qualifiers, Kerzhakov scored his first goal for Russia in a friendly 1–1 draw against Sweden on 21 August 2002. In 2003, he won the Cyprus International Football Tournament, playing in the final match. After making eight appearances in the qualification tournament, he was selected by Georgi Yartsev for the final tournament as one of four strikers in the squad behind with Dmitri Bulykin, Dmitri Kirichenko, and Dmitri Sychev. He was on the bench for the games against Spain and Greece, but played a full game against Portugal, as Russia was eliminated from the group stage. 2004–2010 Following Euro 2004, Kerzhakov featured regularly under Yartsev during the 2006 World Cup qualifiers and scored a goal against Liechtenstein in March 2005. Yartsev's successor Yuri Semin, continued to select Kerzhakov as he went on to score three goals including a double against Liechtenstein as Russia failed to qualify for final tournament. Under Guus Hiddink, Kerzhakov continued his role as the first choice striker but was dropped after limited appearances for Zenit in late 2006. Upon moving to Sevilla, Hiddink overlooked Kerzhakov for a friendly against the Netherlands in February 2007. Being recalled for a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia and scored both goals in a 2–0 victory. In June 2007, Kerzhakov scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 victory over Andorra. He made a further contribution to Russia's Euro 2008 qualification campaign by scoring a goal in a 3–0 victory over Macedonia in September 2007. Despite being the top scorer for Russia with five goals, Kerzhakov failed to make Hiddink's 23-man squad for the tournament finals. After an 18-month exclusion, Kerzhakov was recalled in May 2009 for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Finland in Helsinki. He started the game and scored two goals as Russia defeated Finland 3–0 and went on to play for the remainder of the campaign. During the playoff against Slovenia, Kerzhakov was