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Goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was the hero while Russia beat Spain, winner of 2010, on penalties to establish a quarter-finals of the World Cup against Croatia.
Fernando Hierro's Spain dominated the match at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, occupying 74% of possession, but created little chances and gave in to pressure when she had the most trouble. importance
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Veteran goalkeeper Akinfeev saves Koke and Iago Aspas 4-3 penalties, reaching the last eight for the first time since 1970, when they played as the Soviet Union.
The improbable victory sparked emotional scenes as the rain fell and there was jubilation in the center of Moscow. waving flags, blowing horns and shouting "Russ-ia!"
In the tournament, a 70th World, we were not expecting them to progress beyond the first round, but they find themselves in the last eight.
"We were hoping for penalties," Akinfeev said after the match ended. 1-1 after overtime, following a goal against Sergei Ignashevich's side and a guaranteed penalty from Artem Dzyuba.
"We are going to have a fantastic World Cup not only our fans, but fans from other countries understand the atmosphere and understand that the Russians really know how to play football and want to play football."
Russia entered the tournament ridiculed by its own supporters after a series of defeats in the warm-up matches, but they beat Saudi Arabia 5-0 in their opening match and swept Egypt 3-1, making even believe in their own skeptical audience
The result is a disaster for Spain, whose preparations for the World Cup were destroyed when their manager Julen Lopetegui was sacked on the eve of the tournament after taking the vacant coaching post Real Madrid
Five goals in their three group matches and important questions on the form of goalkeeper David de Gea in the knockout phase.
Hierro rejected any suggestion that the team would have had better if the Spanish federation had not decided to cut Lopetegui. "We had the opportunity to win this game, but we ended up in a penalty shoot-out, which is essentially a lottery, and we were unlucky," he said. declared
"I do not think that we can talk about the collapse of the team or the collapse," said the former captain of Real Madrid
"In football, there is a limit between winning and losing"
An impromptu mbad party was held in the historic center of Moscow late in the evening. The cars gushed horns as police and guards watched.
"It's awesome, we're champions, we believe we'll be in the finals with Brazil," said Anna Glazkova, 27, head of human relations, "I feel perfect", said Ivan Lisin, 28, a fan of Spartak Moscow, who works in digital. marketing. He had the Russian flag painted on his cheek
"This is a huge surprise for the Russian people.We have gone from the group stages and now we have beaten Spain.No of my friends or people who follow the game did not think it would happen.It's like a miracle. "
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