Soccer Football - World Cup - Quarter Final - Russia vs Croatia - Fisht Stadium, Sochi, Russia - July 7, 2018 Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov reacts REUTERS/Carl Recine
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Despite the pre-World Cup barbs and snipes regarding Russia's quality and the politically-charged commentary related to the hosts, they bowed out in style, having exceeded expectations and injected the tournament with a healthy dose of enthusiasm.
The Russians as hosts did not need to qualify for the World Cup and their ranking of 70 in the world was the lowest among all teams in Russia, even lower than international football minnows Saudi Arabia.
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