Russia on a roll and relishing 'beginning of something bigger'

Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov believes the World Cup host's stunning victory over Spain on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the last 16 on Sunday "is only the beginning" for his team.

Captain Igor Akinfeev saved two from the spot as Russia triumphed 4-3 in a dramatic shootout in Moscow to reach a first quarterfinal since the Soviet era, in 1970.

"I'm not the man of the match, the man of the match is our team and our fans," said Akinfeev, after his saves against Koke and Iago Aspas were greeted with a deafening roar from a crowd of 78,011 at Luzhniki Stadium.