Russia defeated Spain 4-3 on penalties after drawing 1-1 in the game held in Moscow. They now advance into the last eight while Spain have been eliminated from the tournament.

“The team did everything possible, we were eager to redeem ourselves as a national team. We couldn’t do any more. We left our souls on the pitch and played with pride. We gave everything. They took us to penalties, which was the only way they could cause us problems. We had possession of the ball, but penalties are a lottery, and we lost,” Ramos said, as quoted by Football Espana news website.

Ramos won the World Cup with Spain in 2010, as well as the 2008 and 2012 European championships.

“End of an era? Hopefully not. We have a team who can keep dreaming. Despite the criticism and doubts in the group stage, we redeemed ourselves today. There will be players who come back and others who leave, but they’ll always have this pride,” Ramos added.

This is the first time Russia reached the last eight in their history. The host nation will face Croatia or Denmark on 7 July in Sochi.