Russia won their opening two matches at the tournament, thrashing Saudi Arabia 5-0 and beating Egypt 3-1, to book their place in the latter stages of the competition for the first time since the break-up of the Soviet Union.

"Our win, of course, is pleasing. This is huge. It is a great event for the country, because we deserve victories as we have done a lot for this. Because the country has built a large number of stadiums in such a short period of time. These are beautiful, stunning buildings," Shoigu told journalists.

He added that football was a great game, which unites those who love sports and their country and those "who value normal relations between other countries, states and peoples."