MOSCOW, April 16 (R-Sport) - Russia powered into the semifinals of the sledge hockey world championships on Tuesday with a 1-0 defeat of Italy.

Dmitry Lisov's third-period goal was enough for the Russians to collect their second victory of the event in Goyang after a 2-1 victory Saturday over hosts South Korea.

Russia, making its debut in the A-Pool competition, was also defeated 4-3 by Canada on Sunday.

The top five finishers will qualify directly for the Sochi Paralympic Games next year, with the bottom three entering playoffs. Russia is an automatic qualifier as Olympic host.

Russia's semifinal opponent Thursday will be decided later Tuesday as the Olympic champion United States faces off against the Czech Republic.

The competition runs through Sunday.