Supp. Two 'Commenced'

When it became apparent that Russia would host Saudi Arabia on the first day of the tournament it was widely believed that we would be subjected to an abject and uninspiring opening day: that was far from the case. A side which had struggled in qualifying and lacked stardust going up against a solid but largely unknown Saudi side looked almost nailed on to deliver a bore draw, but from the opening seconds it was evident that sparks could fly. Russia exploded in an absurdly deft and explosive performance on opening day with the red and blue of their fans swimming above the 80,000 strong crowd which filled the Luzhniki Stadium. It is a testament to the enormity of an event when a game of such little attraction as this morning's clash between two rather controversial political states in Russia and Saudi Arabia gained such a sizeable and engaged audience. The Saudi’s willingness to try and play in one and two touch exchanges was admirable and they looked positive in the first ten minutes before the Russian’s began to break up the midfield (a common occurrence in the tie) and after a string of three corners in quick succession, the excellent Yury Gazinsky opened Russia’s account at the tournament with a fine header on the end of a wonderfully crafted Aleksandr Golovin cross.

Golovin would go on to run the show with a fine display culminating in a goal of his own on the final whistle. He had a hand in three of the five goals and his guile and creativity was part of what set the two sides apart. The appearance of target man Artem Dzyuba was also key after Krasnodar forward Fyodor Smolov went of with a hamstring injury early in the piece. Dzyuba got on of his own and added a domineering presence up front for the Russian’s who physically dominated the encounter in every region of the park. It was a performance which contradicted everything said about this side in the lead up to the World Cup but the performance which the Saudi Arabian’s put in can not be discounted as a factor leading to the emphatic nature of the win. Pizzi’s side were abject and lacked any physical threat. They were simply not strong enough in all regions of the park; especially in midfield. The Russian’s received a lot of joy from quickly breaking up long phases of passing to burst upfield and the Saudi’s had no answer - if they are to do anything of note in this World Cup, they must improve markedly before they meet Egypt and Uruguay. Both of which meet each other this evening in a tie which promises to be an engaging contest. If the opening game is anything to go by, we will witness an expansive tournament where attack comes before defense: a formula which will mean the fans are invariably entertained, the most important aspect of football.

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