FIFA World Cup 2018: Russia's hosts rejoice in hard-fought victory over Spain's faded past masters



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Like the light lyrics of Kalinka, a folk-style song composed by Ivan Larionov in 1860, castigated around the Luzhniki cavernous stadium, a modern football cathedral of sanitation and capitalism on the banks of the Moskva River, the Russians were waiting & # 39; the game of our lives, "said attacker Artem Dzyuba. Indeed, it was the first playoff match of Russia in 32 years, the Soviet Union sagging 4-3 against Belgium at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

In the stands, a large banner depicts Dzyuba raising the World Cup. the hosts and their vociferous fans. After all, Russia playing Spain in the round of 16 had not been part of the scenario. For months, if not years, it was arguable that the Sbornaya failed their own party and went out ignominiously in the group stage. Instead, they surprised Group A by demonstrating a lot of energy and zeal for more than 270 minutes, against less than Uruguay.

Brazil will play Mexico at Samara Arena at 7:30 pm, followed by Belgium against Japan. at 11:30 pm at the Rostov Arena in Rostov-on-Don

  Russian players celebrate the victory against Spain. Reuters

Russian players celebrate the victory against the penalty shootout against Spain. Reuters

The proposal of Spain, the masters of the game of modern possession, was still discouraging for the hosts, but not one without a ribbon of hope. The Spaniards had lived a dysfunctional campaign at the World Cup, Fernando Hierro oddly replacing Julen Lopetegui, Real Madrid, breaking the fragile defense of La Roja.

In the 4th minute, Aleksandr Golovin shook and ran forward, brimming with self-confidence, the CSKA Moscow player was a bright star for Russia in the group stages, but alas, his raids were too rare for the powerful hosts who had managed to smother the pbading game developed by Spain. Outside of possession, Russia played a 5-4-1 formation

In the 12th minute, the disaster struck Stanislav Cherchesov's team, conceding the "more goals Ramos ever" on a play, a Russian weakness. The Spanish captain and Sergei Ignashevich were engaged in rugby before the ball bounced off the defender's leg and into the net. The exaggerated celebration of Ramos suggested that he had scored, except that he had not even touched the ball. He deceived everyone, but the televised replies did not lie, showing Ignashevich's horrible ordeal, scoring an own goal at a home World Cup while Ramos l & # 39; Attacked

. Spain had done what she wanted, hogging possession and almost sleepwalking for the first half, stimulated by elegance and vision of Isco. Possession statistics climbed to over 75%, a measure of Spain's dominance. The hosts were tasteless and limited, but the side flaws of Spain did not cause more damage. The Spaniards rushed and complied with the first sign of "sterile" Russian pressure.

What followed, when Dzyuba sent his penalty to equalize, was the Russian ecstasy, a hurricane of hysterical cheers and noise filling the spaceship. Luzhniki. Russia was not just an afterthought at this tournament, but competing with the world's elite.

At the time, Spain had about 514 pbades and a completion rate of 90 percent, but this statistic was rather insignificant. The hosts felt a heist. Cherchesov replaced Aleksandr Samedov by the most Spanish of Russians, the poster holder Denis Cheryshev, who pbaded through the academy of Real Madrid and spent most of his life in Spain. With his two goals in the opening match, he has become the great new cultural sensation of Russia. Luzhniki gave him a standing ovation. Hierro replied, substituting the mild and disappointing David Silva, but without much success.

Russia did not want the ball to come back and failed to collect the right markers while the second half fell into a dead end, a battle of sterile wear with Spain. rondos around the Russian box, but without penetration and ideas. The Spaniards were inexorably unproductive and slow.

Spain, it seemed, had the intention of inflicting "pbading death" on their guests, but Iberia's stalled stylists were played out in the first half of the year. # 39; oblivion. They pbaded and pbaded, but never pbaded Russia. The Russians played hard, covering 108 km at the end of the 90 minutes, six more than Spain. In the group stages, they recorded the third highest distance, averaging 110 kilometers per game. They zoomed a little less against Spain, but were carriers like the ubiquitous "RAS-I-YA!" the songs were coming down from the bleachers, and fans of the house hesitated to adopt the thunderclap of Iceland.

Russia was so seated that she was playing almost beyond the third ring of Moscow. They grabbed, threw themselves, attacked, chased, scrapped and ran, ran. The game has become stultifying. At the end of the 120 minutes, they had traveled 146 km. Even watching a Ukrainian-Swiss revival at the 2006 World Cup seemed a treat now, but Cherchesov cared little about this beautiful match. The Russian obstinacy endured and eventually prevailed, the goalkeeper Akinfeev the unlikely hero. He plunged, his fists tense, into the celebration in the grbad like the fans, and a country, roared.

"My emotions are simple," said Cherchesov after the match. "The match is over now, and I'm already thinking about the next game." He was on the only Russian to remain so stoic. In downtown Moscow, near the Red Square, hundreds of thousands of fans screamed and shouted, exulting victory. Mayhem engulfed the capital. The Russians were in a state of collective trance and rightly: they had just watched the game of their lives

Click here for full coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Click here to see the full schedule of the 2018 FIFA World Cup

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