Russia reached the quarter-finals for the first time since the break-up of the Soviet Union where they lost to Croatia 4-3 on penalties in Sochi on Saturday after the match finished 2-2 following extra time.

"We were worried that our defense is weak. But in all the World Cup matches, except for the one against Uruguay, we played well in defense. On the whole, the team played out a very good tournament and deserves the highest praise," Koloskov said over the phone.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 14 and will continue until July 15, with the final set to be played at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.