FIFA World Cup 2018: Russia defeat Spain 4-3 on penalties after match ends 1-1 after extra time

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuqd99Vl6seaUeOs3vG2d4i6p63UEq7xRUkhdWcR2aJFA462Gic93lj8nAJMJva7UnEYBL544T5ZWgEoclNJ4011UogrCB69t3QkjEXxbA_iEujDY5zkR31hVyp24QtMfDMksQFIEtRd3C/s1600/Spain1-vs-Russia1-3-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuqd99Vl6seaUeOs3vG2d4i6p63UEq7xRUkhdWcR2aJFA462Gic93lj8nAJMJva7UnEYBL544T5ZWgEoclNJ4011UogrCB69t3QkjEXxbA_iEujDY5zkR31hVyp24QtMfDMksQFIEtRd3C/s640/Spain1-vs-Russia1-3-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russia defeat Spain 4-3 on penalties after match ends 1-1</td></tr> </tbody></table> <h2> <ul> <li>The Luzhniki Stadium has exploded into a sea of celebrations. The hosts, Russians are into the quarter-finals!</li> <li>Russia stun Spain with penalty shootout win to reach quarter finals, Iago Aspas and Koke miss pens.</li> <li>Russia hung on in extra time to beat Spain on penalties in a shock result that sends the hosts through to the last eight of World Cup 2018.</li> <li>Russia reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the second time in history, after they achieved the feat in 1966.</li> </ul> </h2> In a match where Spain enjoyed 79 per cent of possession, not even the positive impact of another stand-out performance from Isco could break down the Russia defence to give Spain the easy win many had predicted.<br /> <br /> Two saves from Igor Akinfeev in the penalty shoot-out gave the hosts the 4-3 win.<br /> <br /> The match still started well for Spain. Russia seemed overwhelmed by the occasion for the first time this tournament, in this their first knock-out stage match at a World Cup since Mexico 1986.<br /> <br /> The first goal highlighted this quality discrepancy early on, as abysmal Russia defending gave Spain the lead. Sergei Ignashevich seemed more concerned by bulldozing Sergio Ramos down in the six-yard box than defending the Spain corner, and with his back to the ball accidentally clipped it over the line to put Russia behind in the 11th minute.<br /> Spain's Sergio Ramos was fouled by Russia's Sergei Ignashevich, who directed the ball into his own net.<br /> <br /> But some counter-attacking from Russia late in the half gave paid off, as a Russia corner turned into a penalty thanks to Gerard Pique's flailing arm catching the ball in the air.<br /> <br /> Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov couldn't even bear to watch, turning his back on the action as the weight of the country's expectations fell on Artem Dzyuba's shoulders.<br /> <br /> But you wouldn't have guessed it, as the striker coolly slotted the penalty into the bottom-left corner of the goal in the 41st minute to the delight of the home crowd's booming cheers.<br /> <br /> Spain's frustration going into the half-time undoubtedly motivated their much more positive start to the second period - with more purposeful crossing and penetration at goal, but still struggling to create tangible goal-scoring opportunities.  Report by Molly McElwee.<br /> <br /> credit: telegraph.co.uk

2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ Featured FIFA World Cup FIFA World Cup Round of 16 Igor Akinfeev Russia football team Sergio Ramos Sergio Ramos García Spain Football Team Spain vs Russia Sports FIFA World Cup 2018: Russia defeat Spain 4-3 on penalties after match ends 1-1 after extra time

Russia defeat Spain 4-3 on penalties after match ends 1-1 The Luzhniki Stadium has exploded into a sea of celebrations. The hosts, Rus...

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Spain vs Morocco [2:2] - Spain clinch late equaliser to top Group B by the skin of their teeth against valiant Morocco as VAR controversy reigns

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOD28WwPEGfL3hCt_Mve6fng1_CO3clkH0iNr6rWHT9bMqUFlUVW2-b8xmHeIh4FDQJ3MpV994UIhcuLuVVnOkeHo60irhR7qMQed7tVuPJpJV5Cbm3rkOhaMXEOjrnlZYC5WrCazt0qB/s1600/spain-vs-morocco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOD28WwPEGfL3hCt_Mve6fng1_CO3clkH0iNr6rWHT9bMqUFlUVW2-b8xmHeIh4FDQJ3MpV994UIhcuLuVVnOkeHo60irhR7qMQed7tVuPJpJV5Cbm3rkOhaMXEOjrnlZYC5WrCazt0qB/s640/spain-vs-morocco.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spain clinch late equaliser to top Group B</td></tr> </tbody></table> As this match entered added time, Spain were staring into the abyss. Their ongoing participation in the 2018 World Cup had slipped out of their hands and they were reliant only on their great rivals, Portugal, continuing to frustrate Iran.<br /> <br /> Seven extraordinary minutes later and, after a back-heeled volley, a major Video Assistant Referee controversy, several scuffles and a mini pitch-invasion, they were somehow into the last 16 as Group B winners.<br /> <br /> Fernando Hierro’s team were ultimately rescued here by Iago Aspas’s wonderfully improvised finish but, with his goal having initially been ruled out for offside and then narrowly reinstated by the VAR, but all the late drama still papered over some quite alarming cracks.<br /> <br /> It also provoked fury from within the Morocco squad. They had been within grasp of one of their most famous ever wins and, amid angry pitchside exchanges between members of the respective backroom teams, Hierro later stressed that his coaches had not requested the use of technology. Morocco winger Nordin Amrabat still could not contain his frustration, mouthing the words, “VAR is b-------” into a camera as he left the pitch.<br /> <br /> Morocco forward Aziz Bouhaddouz also again brought up the defeat against Portugal, arguing that his team had “no luck” and bluntly describing the refereeing as “s---”.<br /> <br /> It was easy to sympathise with Morocco’s disappointment after three matches in which one point did not do justice to their performances, even if the technology here did eventually ensure the correct decision. Indeed, while the possession statistics will confirm that Spain were their typically dominant selves on the ball, the real story of the match was their quite shocking defensive vulnerability.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Russia await at the Luzhniki Stadium on Sunday and, if the hosts can organise themselves effectively, they certainly have the counter-attacking qualities to seriously trouble the 2010 champions. With Sergio Ramos especially poor – and involved in a terrible mix-up for the first and then beaten aerially for Youssef En-Nesyri’s brilliantly headed goal – this was a match that Liverpool fans would certainly have enjoyed.<br /> <br /> It was noticeable that Hierro repeatedly refused to comment on the individual performance of any of his defenders. “Personal grades are for in-house,” said Hierro. “We need to look at the silver lining but we have to be self-critical. To concede five goals in three games is not the way forward. We were lucky. If other teams score so easily, it will be very difficult to reach our goal.”<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> The whistles that had earlier rung at around Kaliningrad from the moment Spain kicked off told you everything about the supporter imbalance. While Moroccans made up most of the crowd, blue empty seats also comfortably outnumbered the 1,000 or so Spain fans in this most western corner of Russia.<br /> <br /> Spain’s starting team was still vastly experienced. Five of their 10 outfield players had already won more than 100 caps and yet there was a curious edginess about their approach. Gerard Pique, who would also have a torrid evening, soon dived in with an inexplicably wild challenge on Morocco striker Khalid Boutaib that could very easily have provoked a straight red.<br /> <br /> Ramos and Andres Iniesta, who have collectively played 285 times for Spain, then combined to make an error straight out of a video of parks-football bloopers. Both decided to leave the ball and, with only a loud touchline scream of “One of you!” missing from a scene straight off Hackney Marshes, Boutaib gratefully surged clear on David de Gea’s goal and side-footed his finish between the Manchester United goalkeeper’s legs.<br /> <br /> The goal did provoke rather more urgency from Spain. Iniesta soon combined delightfully with Isco and, after an exchange of passes, quite effortlessly nudged the ball back into the Real Madrid midfielder’s path to equalise.<br /> <br /> Spain almost immediately fell back to sleep. A simple long throw was all it took to then again release Boutaib but De Gea this time managed to block the subsequent shot for what was his first actual save of the World Cup.<br /> <br /> Morocco’s tally of four yellow cards in the opening 45 minutes told you everything about how much they wanted to win and they maintained their threat at the start of the second half. Amrabat spectacularly beat De Gea with a powerful strike but it just did not quite curl back sufficiently and smashed off the inside angle of post and bar.<br /> <br /> Hakim Ziyech claimed a penalty when his volley bounced off Pique’s arm and, from Faycal Fajr’s resulting corner, En-Nesyri rose above Ramos to head Morocco into the lead. The drama had not ended. A desperate last gasp injury-time cross came in for Aspas, who improvised wonderfully to back-heel his finish past goalkeeper Monir El Kajoui.<br /> <br /> The offside flag went up. VAR intervened.<br /> <br /> News then filtered through that Portugal had also been held and it is somehow Spain who will face Russia in Moscow this Sunday. <br /> <br /> <br />  source: Telegraph.co.uk

2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ Featured FIFA World Cup Group B Morocco football team Portugal vs Spain Russia vs Egypt Spain Football Team Spain vs Morocco Sports Spain vs Morocco [2:2] - Spain clinch late equaliser to top Group B by the skin of their teeth against valiant Morocco as VAR controversy reigns

Spain clinch late equaliser to top Group B As this match entered added time, Spain were staring into the abyss. Their ongoing participat...

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