After all the negative talk in the lead-up, and the inescapable sense of unease that this opening match could turn up a humiliating experience for the host nation, it was tempting to wonder what all the fuss was about after Russiagot the tournament started with an emphatic victory that was every bit as comfortable as the scoreline suggests.
The lowest-ranked team in the tournament – Saudi Arabia will surely assume that title by the time these finals are over – registered their first win in eight matches to put a smile on the face of Vladimir Putin, the Russia president, and allay those fears that a home World Cup would be some sort of ordeal for Stanislav Cherchesov and his players. That they were playing Saudi Arabiaclearly helped.
Juan Antonio Pizzi’s team looked hopelessly out of their depth and it is difficult to overstate just how poorly they performed, in particular in defence, where they were a danger to themselves almost every time Russia attacked.
Aleksandr Golovin, the gifted CSKA Moscow midfielder, set up two goals and dispatched a fine free-kick with the last kick of the game but the best performer was Denis Cheryshev, who came off the bench to score twice, with his second a wonderful arcing lob with the outside of his left boot that is sure to be shown over and again during the coming days.
For more read the full of article at The Guardian
