Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev says his team had not specifically practiced penalty kicks before the game.
Russia beat Spain on penalties at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on Sunday, with Akinfeev saving Koke's and Iago Aspas’s spot-kicks to help the host nation reach the quarter-finals for the first time.
"We did not practice penalties. We were 100% hoping to win in normal time," Akinfeev told journalists.
Russia will next play Croatia in the quarter-finals in Sochi on Sunday morning (AEST).
International news source
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