Russia have booked their place at next year's World Cup, surprisingly edging out Portugal to Group F's top spot. Fabio Capello's team suffered defeats at the hands of Portugal and Northern Ireland throughout their qualification campaign, though otherwise maintained a perfect win record until they edged over the line with a 1-1 draw against Azerbaijan.
Russia clinch 2014 World Cup qualification
Russia’s 1-1 draw with Azerbaijan is enough to see them book their place at Brazil 2014.
Alex Livesey
Since taking charge of the national team last year, Capello hasn't been afraid to give the squad a shakeup. Introducing several younger players from the Russian Premier League's smaller teams, the Italian has pretty radically reshaped Russia's starting 11 with a typically pragmatic approach. Having been successful so far, it'll be interesting to see how they fare in Brazil in a few months' time.
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