to compete for a world championship this year<\/a>. William Hill currently lists Russia as a 40\/1 dark horse to win the World Cup, far behind favorites like Brazil (4\/1) and Spain (9\/2).<\/p>\nRussia is even a slight underdog to Uruguay in their final match, though it is favored to win the group. Thanks to their superior goal differential, the Russians would finish ahead of Uruguay if the teams draw their match on Monday.<\/p>\n
Regardless of the result, Russia will likely face an uphill climb in their first knockout match. They will most likely face either Spain or Portugal in the Round of 16, and either powerhouse would be a heavy favorite to end the home team\u2019s run.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The party is on in Russia, as fans are celebrating the home team\u2019s first time qualifying for the World Cup knockout rounds since 1986. Back then, it was the Soviet Union who made the Round of 16 before losing 4-3 to Belgium. FIFA combines the results of Russia and the USSR for historical recordkeeping. Emphatic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":81427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
World Cup: Russian Fans Celebrate as Hosts Qualify for Knockout Round<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n