RUSSIA shockingly eliminated Spain from the World Cup yesterday, surviving two hours of dominance by the 2010 champions in a 1-1 draw and then winning a penalty shootout 4-3.

Russia captain and goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev saved spot-kicks from Jorge “Koke” Resurreccion and Iago Aspas, while all four Russian shooters scored.

Akinfeev used his trailing left foot to kick the ball high away from the goal on Spain’s last attempt by Aspas. The veteran goalkeeper punched the air with both hands and leaped into a surfing, belly flop dive onto the rain-soaked turf as teammates raced to him from the halfway line.

The World Cup’s lowest-ranked team now advance into a quarter-final against Croatia or Denmark in Sochi on Sunday.

“I just feel emptied out,” Akinfeev said. “Over the whole second half and extra time we were defending our goal and managed it, we were hoping for penalties because Spain are hard to beat. Spain can’t always be lucky.”

It gave Russia their greatest win in international football for 10 years, since Akinfeev was in goal for an extra-time victory over the Netherlands in a European Championship quarter-final. That run was ended days later by a Spain team beginning its era of dominance.

Spain have now failed to win a knock-out game at three major tournaments since it won Euro 2012.

Defeat yesterday likely spells the end of Andres Iniesta’s career. The veteran Barcelona midfielder came off the bench and almost won the game with an 85th-minute shot well saved by Akinfeev. Iniesta also scored the first spot-kick of the shootout.

Spain were more urgent in extra time after being too passive when they dominated the ball in the 90 minutes of regular time.

Akinfeev pushed away a 109th-minute shot from substitute Rodrigo who ran hard at goal from near the halfway line. He also ensured the game needed 30 extra minutes with back-to-back diving saves in the 85th to deny substitutes Iniesta and Aspas.

Spain dominated the ball during the game — completing more than 1,000 passes — but were too passive against a well-organised Russian defence.

La Roja led in the 12th minute when captain Sergio Ramos helped force Russia’s Sergei Ignashevich into an own goal when his back was turned to the play. The 38-year-old defender diverted a crossed ball into the net with his heel as he and Ramos got tangled up.

An error in Spain’s defence let Russia level in the 41st, after Gerard Pique’s raised arm blocked a header by Artyom Dzyuba at a corner. Pique’s complaints were wasted.

Dzyuba’s penalty kick fooled goalkeeper David De Gea to dive the wrong way.

Russia’s win comes after two titans of international football lost their chance to lift the World Cup trophy on Saturday.

Lionel Messi was dumped out by France, who beat Argentina 4-3, despite the South Americans having led 2-1. Kylian Mbappe netted a brace for Les Bleus.

And Uruguay showed Cristiano Ronaldo the door, courtesy of a 2-1 win over Portugal.

Both Messi and Ronaldo are in their early thirties and unlikely to feature prominently in Qatar in 2022.