Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev declined to take any credit for seeing his side through to the World Cup quarterfinals after beating Spain on penalties, insisting the hosts “were lucky, that’s it.” After the game ended 1-1 after 120 minutes, Akinfeev made two saves in the shootout, including a sensational stop with his trailing boot to deny Iago Aspas and seal Russia’s spot in the quarterfinals.
“Thank God, we were lucky, that’s it,” Akinfeev said in his post-match television interview. “In the second half, we were trying to defend. We were hoping for penalties and that’s what happened. Thank God.”
Akinfeev also extended a thank you to the 78,000-strong home crowd in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.
“I’m not the man of the match,” Akinfeev told reporters. “The man of the match is our team — and our fans.”