Russia's national team fairy tale ended - they lost to Croats in the quarterfinals of the World Cup after a penalty shootout, wrote lrytas.lt.
The main time of the match ended 1:1, extra time - 2:2, and in the penalty shootout Croatia triumphed 4:3.
In the match, Russians were the first to advance - 31st minute Denis Cheryshev scored with a beautiful shot.
Before the end of the match, the Russian media dubbed him the "new national team leader" and the "golden boy".
After eight minutes, Andrej Kramaric equalized the score, and during extra time, Domagoj Vida led the Croats ahead.
The hopes of the already disappointed Russian fans were revived by defender Mario Fernandes - he scored his team's second goal with five minutes left to play.
However, in the penalty shootout, this player quickly became a scapegoat when he missed a completely inaccurate shot.
"Croatia broke the hearts of the Russians in the penalty shootout, ending their heroic journey," wrote "Russia Today".
Sports.ru simply posted a big red lettered "Spasibo" (thank you) on the front page.
"It was still the best World Cup for us. Even after losing to the Croats, we can feel proud and thank our team," continued sports.ru.
"We are left without a semi-final... What a shame," read the headline on sport-express.ru.
"Team, it was amazing! A loss that we are not ashamed of. Stanislav Cherchesov's team leaves the championship with heads held high. They exceeded all expectations. Thank you!" wrote championat.com.
Russian national team defender Ilja Kutepov struggled to find words after the loss.
"The World Cup is over for us. But it was the best time of my life. These are unforgettable moments. That feeling needs to be preserved. I am proud of our men. They went shoulder to shoulder all the way. I am proud of the coaches, administration, medical staff. It's nice that I spent this World Cup with you. Thank you, guys! Thank you to the fans for their support. Together we can achieve a lot," wrote the footballer in the "Instagram" network.
Meanwhile, former Denmark national team captain Peter Schmeichel criticizes the first penalty shootout and the mistakes of Fyodor Smolov and Mario Fernandes. "All that's left is to feel for Mario Fernandes. He played a great match, sacrificed a lot for the team. But he took a terrible penalty. You cannot miss the goal. It's difficult to criticize Fyodor Smolov, who gave his all on the field. However, if you are the first to take a penalty, you must score a goal. You have to convince everyone of your strength. You had to at least scare the Croatian goalkeeper," quoted RT.
lrytas.lt
