The Russian have come out as confident 5-2 winners from their clash with defending champions Sweden in the last group stage game of the Bandy World Cup in Kazan.
The home side sealed the deal in the first period, which ended with a 4-0 scoreline, with their top man, Sergey Lomanov, scoring a hat-trick. The result saw the Russians finishing second in the preliminaries, with the Swedes right behind them. It means the two bandy (or Russian hockey) powerhouses will meet again in the semis, scheduled for Saturday, January 29.Finland and Kazakhstan will battle it out for the other spot in the decider.