MOSCOW — We have a saying in Russia, Stanislav Cherchesov told reporters from behind his fearsome mustache on Saturday afternoon.
“Anyone,” said the coach of Russia’s World Cup team, “can be a god if he tries.”
The statement — a day before Russia would play Spain in the World Cup’s round of 16 — was both pushback and premonition. Cherchesov knew what everyone was thinking: that his Russian team, the lowest-ranked in the field, had done well up until now as the host of the World Cup, but would surely reach the end of the line when it took on Spain, a former world and European champion.