Russia will need more firepower again Croatia in last eight

MOSCOW: Hosts Russia have exceeded expectations after advancing to the World Cup quarter- finals with a win on penalties over Spain but they will need more fi repower if they are to give Croatia a run for their money on Saturday.

The Russians played with five at the back and just a lone striker in Artem Dzyuba and it worked against Spain, who managed just one chance in the entire 90 minutes on Sunday.

Having played more than 1,000 passes but never got to threaten the Russians in the box, the Spaniards made it look easy for the hosts, who are the lowestranked team in the tournament.

But it will not be the same against Croatia, with the Balkan nation also needing penalties to advance over Denmark on Sunday but already having shown fl ashes of their stellar attacking game when they beat Argentina, Nigeria and Iceland to top their group.

With players such as worldclass midfielder Luca Modric and a string of top-level forwards including Mario Mandzukic, Ante Rebic, Andrej Kramaric and Ivan Perisic, Croatia will challenge Russia’s backline far more than Spain’s lacklustre Diego Costa did in the entire game.

Zlatko Dalic’s team scored at least two goals in each of their three group matches, including fi ring three past hapless Argentina, to stake a claim as one of the dark horses in this tournament.

Their attacks will also come in all shapes and sizes, whether they are quick breaks, long crosses for Mandzukic, so dominant in aerial battles, or individual displays of skills and powerful shots from in or around the box.

They will certainly not be as one- sided as Spain’s attacking options. — AFP