Hosts Russia have been knocked out of the Winter Olympic Ice Hockey tournament following a 3 - 1 defeat to Finland in the quarter-finals.

As the BBC's Ollie Williams wrote, a gold medal in Ice Hockey was one of the key events Russia wanted to win at Sochi.

Russia, who have yet to win Olympic gold since the breakup of the Soviet Union, took to the lead through Ilya Kovalchuk, before Finland hit back with three goals.

The defeat is also a disappointment for Russian President Vladimir Putin who is a fan of the sport.

Finland advance to semi-final against Sweden.

Meanwhile on Newstalk's Off The Ball tonight, we talk to one of the protagonists involved in the legendary Miracle on Ice game involving USA and the Soviet Union.

Main image: Ilya Kovalchuk