The lowest-ranked team coming into their own World Cup, have sparkled since the action began — and perhaps the secret to their success is not just their ability on the ball but good old-fashioned industry.
No other team has matched the hosts' Stakhanovite workrate — both of which Russia won by healthy margins -- nor even come close when it comes to putting in the hard yards.
According to FIFA's statistics, Russia, who play in their final group game on Monday, have, by a startling margin, covered more ground than any other team, with their opening 5-0 victory over Saudi Arabia seeing them run a collective 118 kilometres.