Photos of fans in the last day of the quarterfinals in Russia 2018
Mario Fernandes, a Russian defender, was one of the protagonists of Croatia vs. Russia, scoring the final equalizer at 115' minutes when the Croats had taken the lead five minutes earlier with a goal from Domagoj Vida. Thus, it seemed that the Brazilian-born center-back would become the hero of the match by sending it to a penalty shootout.
In the final penalty shootout, Russia missed the first goal through Fyodor Smolov. This was followed by a Croatian goal by Marcelo Brozovic and a Russian goal by Alan Dzagoev. Just when it seemed that everything was resolved in favor of the Balkans, Mateo Kovacic missed his shot and a hope was born again in the host country.
This opportunity fell to Mario Fernandes who, if he scored the penalty, would reset everything. However, the center-back missed and the error in his shot was the last chance for Russia to equalize. Croatia ended up winning the match with a goal from Ivan Rakitic. Although the player had an excellent game, this grave mistake prevented him from becoming the hero of the day.