Dejection for Russia as the final whistle sounds (Allsport)

By PA Sport Staff

Oleg Romantsev has quit as Russia's head coach following his team's failure to qualify for the second round of the World Cup.

Romantsev resigned following a 40-minute behind-closed-doors meeting with fellow coaches Mikhail Gershkovich and Sergi Pavlov, who have also walked, with the latter conducting the television interview in the wake of the 3-2 defeat to Belgium.

However, Romantsev's departure will not be confirmed until he meets next week with the president of the Football Union of Russia, Viacheslav Koloskov.

Romantsev, who has been in charge of the Russian squad since November 1998 after Anatoli Byshovets was sacked, refused to speak to waiting journalists in the mixed zone at the Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa.

Masked behind a pair of Mafia-style dark glasses, Romantsev was asked a number of times to comment, but ignored all requests other than to shake the hand of one writer before disappearing on the team coach.

The 48-year-old, who was also in charge of Russia at Euro '96, has combined his national role with his club duties for the last three-and-a-half years as Romantsev is currently president and head coach of Spartak Moscow.

A player with Spartak from 1976-83, he then took over as coach for the first time from 1989 to 1995, and then again from 1997 to the present day, winning the Russian championship on nine occasions.

Veteran defender Viktor Onopko, who won his 100th cap for Russia, summed up his side's dismal failure to qualify from Group H as he said: "I cannot find the words about what it means to lose.

"We have done a lot of work as a team, but we were slow at the back and suffered a lot of bad luck. I would like to apologise to the people of Russia for our failure to qualify for the second round.

"The president had called us before the game to wish us luck, but in the end this loss is now a tragedy."

When Vladimir Bestchastnykh cancelled out Johan Walem's stunning seventh minute free-kick just seven minutes into the second half, Russia looked as if they had the nous to see out the game, despite Belgium being the far more impressive side.

But eight minutes after his arrival, the rising young star of Belgian football, Racing Genk striker Wesley Sonck, headed home his third international goal from a Walem corner.

Skipper Marc Wilmots then crowned a sterling man-of-the-match performance with his third goal of the World Cup, and although 18-year-old sensation Dmitri Sychev pulled one back two minutes from time, Russia suffered a third successive exit at the first-round stage.

Sonck, Belgium's top scorer last season with 30 goals as Racing Genk went on to win the title, is hoping his super-sub display will have convinced coach Robert Waseige he is worth a place in the starting line-up for Monday's second-round clash with Brazil in Kobe.

"Obviously I'm not happy being a substitute. I want to start the matches, but it is the coach who has the final say," said Sonck, who has previously been linked with Aston Villa, and is now understood to be a target for Tottenham.

"When you don't start you have to be professional, support your team-mates and hope they do well.

"Then when you do come on you have to give 100, that something extra, and that is what I did today.

"To play for the last 20 minutes and score my goal was a fantastic moment, but as to whether I've done enough to start against Brazil, I don't know.

"Just to play against Brazil will be a dream - and I'm sure it will be very easy!"

Sonck believes Belgium will not be overawed by the Brazilians, who strolled through their qualifying group, but who also appear susceptible at the back.

"With all the individual qualities they have, they are one of the strongest teams in this competition.

"But we will be confident going into that game. You always have to be confident, so we will go for it. We managed to beat France 2-1 at home, so you never know."