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Russia
Pre-Tournament
Russia is arguably the story of this World Cup. The team came into the World Cup on the back of a dreadful run of form and without a win for over a year since a 2-0 victory against New Zealand in the Confederations Cup. Ranked the lowest of the 32 competing countries, pessimism swept the nation pre-tournament regarding the home nations chances, with many calling this the weakest Russia side in recent memory.
The Story So Far
However, the hosts started the World Cup with a bang, swatting aside Saudi Arabia in a superb, free-flowing 5-0 win on opening night. Suddenly, optimism spread across the country sweeping from Moscow to St. Petersburg where the hosts guaranteed qualification to the round of 16 after only two games with an excellent 3-1 victory over Eygpt. Their final group game against Uruguay brought many back down to earth as the South Americans coasted to a 3-0 win over an abject Russia.
Their defeat against Uruguay meant the Russians would face a fancied Spanish side in the round of 16 with few giving the hosts any hope of going through. However, after falling a goal behind, the Russians rallied and got back into the game thanks to a penalty. Their defensive prowess helped them through the remainder of the match and extra time to a penalty shootout where they secured their greatest victory in a World Cup since the days of the Soviet Union.
What's Next
Next up for Russia is a stern test in the form of an excellent Croatia side who have shown themselves to be dark horses to go all the way. However, with the backing of their home support and strong belief rising in the dressing room, Russia will give themselves every chance to shock the world again and go through to the Semi-Finals of their home tournament.
