FIFA World Cup 2018: Luck was against us, says Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov after quarter-final loss to Croatia

Sochi, Russia: Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov lamented that luck had turned against the World Cup hosts after they lost on penalties to Croatia in the quarter-finals. Cherchesov’s team beat Spain in a shootout in the last-16, but fell short in Sochi after extra-time ended with the sides deadlocked at 2-2. They lost the shootout 4-3. [caption id=“attachment_4690651” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Stanislav Cherchesov added that he was fully confident of Russia going the distance despite their low rank. AFP[/caption] “Luck was against us,” Cherchesov said. “My guys feel like conscript soldiers whose term of service was over just when they were preparing to go into battle. They still want to fight that war.” Cherchesov walked into the room still visibly dazed after the dramatic ending. He asked a reporter to repeat the first question, saying after a long pause: “I am still not myself.” Russia were the lowest-ranked team in the tournament and expectations were not high. But Cherchesov said he knew “from the first second that I put this team together how far we could go”. “People not only started to believe in us, but the whole nation loves us now,” he said. Click here for full coverage of FIFA World Cup 2018 Click here to view the full schedule of FIFA World Cup 2018