Spain 1-1 Russia: 5 Talking Points as Spain crash out 3-4 on penalties, World Cup 2018

#3 And we go into 30 minutes of extra-time for the first time in Russia

Russia huddle together at the end of regulation time.

Spain had to force the issue after being pegged back by Russia and an unending sequence of trying to pass their way through the opposition commenced but the minnows held firm. They hassled and harried Spain as soon as they approached their penalty area, didn't afford the Spaniards even an inch inside it, and made a nuisance of themselves by getting in the faces of the opposition, yes, including Diego Costa's.

But now they had to wage war for another thirty minutes with their energy levels considerably diminished. it takes a lot more out of you if you have to do all the running without the ball, covering spaces, keeping your shape and tracking your runners. Russia would've been more than happy to go straight to penalties if they had anything to do with it.

Normal service resumed from the restart with Spain looking to put the game to bed as soon as possible. You could see that the men in red and blue were finding a couple of extra yards of space that wasn't afforded to them in 90 minutes of regulation time. It would be a long 30 minutes for Russia.