Concentrated mostly on defense, Glen Hanlon’s charges were leading twice in the second period. The most Russia could earn going into the third period was a 3-3 draw, which promised a very nervous ending for Kovalchuk, Morozov and Co.

Bykov even dared to substitute goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, who failed to adopt to the Belarus European style.

And fresh Vitaly Eremenko locked his goal, while Ilya Kovalchuk scored the winner in the middle of the third period.

In the semifinals, the Russians will play the USA, who beat Finland 3-2 later on Wednesday.

U.S. 3-2 Finland

Next up for Russia are the U.S., who saw off Finland 3-2.

Dustin Brown, T.J. Oshie, and Ryan Suter scored during a four minute span midway through the second period, while keeper Robert Esche made 47 saves.

Russia and the U.S. have already clashed in the second group stage of the tournament, with Vyacheslav Bykov’s men winning easily 4-1.

Other semis

The other semi-final will be decided on Thursday, when last year's beaten finalists Canada play surprise package Latvia.

Latvia have never made it past the Last Eight at the World Championships.

The winner of that game will play either Sweden or the Czech Republic, who clash in the quarters for the second year in a row. Last year it was Sweden who gained the upper hand.