MOSCOW, July 1 (Reuters) – Hosts Russia reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup on Sunday when they beat Spain 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Koke’s third penalty for Spain was saved by Igor Akinfeev who then saved Iago Aspas’s final shot.
Russia will face either Croatia or Denmark, who were meeting later on Sunday, in Sochi on July 7.
Both the goals came in the first half. Spain took a 12th-minute lead when veteran Russia defender Sergei Ignashevich put into his own net but Artem Dzyuba equalised from a penalty for the hosts in the 42nd minute after Gerard Pique handled in the area. (Reporting by Brian Homewood Editing by Christian Radnedge)
This article was originally published by Espnfc.com. Read the original article here.