World Cup 2018: Russia end Spain’s tiki-taka generation on penalties

Add this to your book of Russian proverbs: He who only passes is passed.

Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev pulls off a crucial save in the penalty shootout against Spain at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium. Picture: AP

Add this to your book of Russian proverbs: He who only passes is passed.

Mighty Spain dominated the field at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium and dulled the senses with mind-numbing ball movement around the perimeter of Russia’s penalty area. It was the classic “tiki-taka” style that led to a World Cup title in 2010, bookended by a pair of European Championships. The Spaniards would pass a team into confusion and then strike.

But this time, they just passed side-to-side, sometimes backwards, almost never to attack. Possession soccer appears to be a relic.

Russia won a World Cup knockout game for the first time since the Soviet Union in 1966, ­defeating Spain 4-3 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw.

Russia go to the quarter-finals to face Croatia, while Spain go home.

“Everything is changing,” Spain coach Fernando Hierro said through a translator. “Trends change.”

Spain attempted 1137 passes and completed 1031, according to FIFA. Stat company Opta said that was the most since it started keeping track in 1966. In contrast, Russia have completed two fewer passes — 1029 — throughout their four matches at the World Cup.

Russia got the victory yesterday making 202 of 285 passes. Coach Stanislav Cherchesov used a five-man defensive unit for the first time in the tournament. Asked why, he thought back to Euro 2008, where Russia lost to Spain 4-1 in their opener and 3-0 in the semi-finals.

“Let us say this openly, they are better than us in many ways,” Cherchesov said. “So I don’t ­believe that we should risk going forward.” While Spain finished with 75 per cent possession, they created just a handful of chances and scored just once, through an own goal.

“In 2008, ’10, ’12, well, we had the players we had, and we played at a level, with a style nobody had done before,” said Hierro, who took over as coach when Julen Lopetegui was fired two days before Spain’s opener.

“Now we’re in 2018, and many things have changed. Now we see that people are playing with a line of five that we thought had been forgotten. We have our identity. Spain’s identity is recognisable. We have our personality and this is a good thing.”

It would be a stretch to say Russia deserved their win, with 26 per cent possession and only six attempts at goal compared with Spain’s 25, but they had a plan, stuck to it, and fought to the bitter end. A 4-3 victory on penalties, after the sides were locked at 1-1 at the end of extra-time, sent the hosts through to their first World Cup quarter-final since 1970. From the spot, Fyodor Smolov, Sergei Ignashevich, Aleksandr Golovin and Denis Cheryshev held their nerve for the hosts, while goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev with his two saves provoked jubilant scenes of celebration stretching from 80,000 at the Luzhniki around the country

Croatia also progressed to the quarter-finals on penalties, after a 1-1 draw with Denmark. Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subasic tied a World Cup record with his three saves in the penalty shootout, which Croatia won 3-2.

Subasic joins former Portugal goalkeeper Ricardo as the only man to save three shots in a single World Cup shootout. Ricardo did it in the 2006 World Cup quarter-final match against England.

AP