At the opening ceremony in Russia, Take That star Robbie Williams belted out his track ‘Let me entertain you’. It was a carefully chosen song to inspire the players to entertain the viewers around the world. Not many people had Russia vs. Saudi Arabia down for being a lively game but the hosts soon proved the doubters wrong.
Dzagoev limps off for hosts
Russia started off well and looked dangerous from the outset. In took just 12 minutes for them to find the back of the net, as Gazinsky powered a header home. For the next 30 minutes, the game settled and there were no real signs that this would eventually end in a 5-0 rout. Just before half-time, Cheryshev scored his first of two goals in style. The only real negative for Russia is that Dzagoev limped off with what looked like a hamstring injury that has probably spelt the end of his World Cup involvement.
After the break, it was Russia setting the pace again and it was no surprise when they added a third goal through Artem Dzyuba. The hosts were cruising now and TV viewers around the world were wondering how this Saudi Arabia team had managed to qualify at all. As the clock ticked down, it looked like Russia had claimed an easy 3-0 win but they still had plenty more in store for the home fans.
Two goals in injury time
In the 91st minute, Denis Cheryshev was there again to grab himself a brace and make it 4-0. With seconds remaining, young winger Golovin got in on the act with a sublime free-kick that beat the goalkeeper at his near post. Fortunately for Saudi Arabia, the whistle blew shortly afterwards and they were put out of their misery.
Biggest home nation victory in the opening game for 84 years
Russia has caught the imagination of their fans now with what was the biggest opening game home nation victory in 84 years. It could be that Saudi Arabia are just very bad but this Russia team looked like they meant business, so it will be interesting to see how both teams fare in the next group matches.
