Moscow, July 29, 2018. Interview with the head coach of the Russian national football team, former goalkeeper Stanislav Cherchesov: "I have very good relationships with the Italian coaches who have worked or still work in Russia. Mancini is the right choice for Italy, because he knows what it means to play for the national team". Cherchesov's team defied expectations by knocking out 2010 World Cup champions Spain and reaching the quarter-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, when they were beaten on penalties by eventual finalists Croatia. It was Russia's best World Cup run since the break-up of the Soviet Union. Russian president Vladimir Putin invited the team to the Kremlin after historic World Cup performance and presented Cherchesov with the Alexander Nevsky Order state award.
