Aleksandr Golovin emergence on World Cup stage headlines Russia 5-0 Saudi Arabia talking points

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  • Substitute Denis Cheryshev and rising CSKA Moscow star Aleksandr Golovin were the heroes for hosts Russia when World Cup 2018 got under way as they helped inflict a 5-0 thrashing on Saudi Arabia, helping erase plentiful pre-match apathy in the process.

    Stanislav Cherchesov’s men came in as the lowest-ranked nation in the tournament (70) and were widely expected to endure a sorry time in Group A. But in front of President Vladimir Putin at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, they put away the pliant Saudis.

    Krasnodar midfielder Yury Gazinsky headed in the first goal with the first attempt on target of the tournament on 12 minutes. Cheryshev then soon fired into the roof of the goal against ramshackle opponents after coming off the bench for the injured Alan Dzagoev.

    A trio of goals followed in the second half. Giant replacement Artem Dzyuba headed in on 71 minutes, before Cheryshev’s stunning goal with the outside of his boot and Golovin’s perfect free-kick added to the rout in injury time.

    ALEKSANDR THE GREAT

    Russians have grown to welcome the World Cup.

    Such feelings of warmth hadn’t transferred to a national side that had been seen as a national embarrassment waiting to happen.

    All that changed within 90 minutes at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium in ‘El Gasico’.

    Central to this transformation was the startling and effective display put in by Golovin.

    Links to perennial Serie A champions Juventus had filled the build-up for the 22-year-old centre midfielder. A pair of assists and a characteristically exquisite free-kick at the death meant these shouldn’t just be hollow words.

    Patience and precision was the key.

    He took his time in either half before sending killer crosses in for Gazinsky and Dzyuba.

    To add to the personal allure and already lengthy list of suitors, his later curled set-piece was a delight to behold. This was a pure technician operating at the highest level – and showed April’s startling effort against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium was no one-off.

    Golovin’s tally of five key passes was three more than any team-mate and only overlapping left-back Yuri Zhirkov attempted more crosses (six).

    A thumping of the Saudis will not end the inquisition about the merits of this Russia. Even if this was the biggest opening victory for a host nation since 1934.

    But if Golovin, plus two-goal Cheryshev, can remain this potent, an avoidance of defeat against Egypt on Tuesday should be attained.

    This could be enough to guarantee second spot and a pressure-relieving place in the knockouts after years of downplaying expectations.

    SAUDI’S PAIN

    More than 30 million fervent Saudis always expect.

    It did not matter that the Green Falcons came in as the second-lowest ranked side in the competition at 67, three places above Thursday’s opponents Russia.

    Or that Juan Antonio Pizzi was the third coach at the helm since qualification was gained last September, a trio of star men had played a combined 19 minutes in La Liga since January’s high-profile loan moves, they’d lost all three preceding warm-ups and hadn’t featured in the competition since 2006.

    High demands follow anyone that dons the Saudi shirt.

    But since Sami Al Jaber and Saeed Al Owairan dazzled at World Cup 1994’s debut – and singular – run to the round of 16, a subsequent 10 matches have delivered zero victories and eight defeats. Only four goals have been registered, to the concession of 31.

    This display in the Russian capital only adds to the pain.

    Centre midfielder Taisir Al Jassim’s slip to allow Gazinsky’s header was comical, so too the pair of slides from defenders Mohammed Al Breik and Omar Hawsawi for substitute Cheryshev’s clincher.

    You dread to think what Barcelona’s Luis Suarez and Paris Saint-Germain’s Edinson Cavani will do to them on Wednesday when they face Uruguay.

    The decision by Pizzi to reinstall statuesque and out-off-form centre forward Mohammad Al Sahlawi contributed to an ineffectual attacking performance. It featured zero attempts on target for the Al Nassr man and his team-mates.

    Lessons seemingly went unlearned from deploying livewire winger Fahad Al Muwallad there in the morale-boosting friendly defeats to Italy and Germany.

    An early exit from a Group A low on searing quality already seems assured after just one, dissatisfying match.

    Juan Antonio Pizzi looks on before the game.

    Juan Antonio Pizzi looks on before the game.

    DZAGOEV – THE FALLEN IDOL

    This was the moment feared by all footballers at World Cup 2018.

    Alan Dzagoev was racing to keep up with a rapier Russia counter-attack when a lightning bolt of pain shot up his left leg. A classic hamstring injury – and one that will surely end his tournament after less than 25 minutes of action.

    The CSKA Moscow playmaker was expected to be the home star of this event when Russia, contentiously, won the bid to become hosts in December 2010.

    Instead, unfulfilled promise details both Dzagoev’s contribution to this running and his career at large.

    The attacker was one of the highest-rated youth products on the planet when handed his international debut a decade ago, aged just 18.

    Throughout the intervening years, teams from Real Madrid to Tottenham Hotspur were linked to taking him off CSKA’s hands.

    Yet a comfortable life in the Russian Premier League and wages artificially inflated by foreign player limits arrested his development. The enticing overtures slowed down long ago.

    Legendary defender Viktor Onopko and forward Andrei Arshavin looked outwards for improvement in previous generations. In contrast, the stunting of Dzagoev, plus contemporaries such as Zenit St Petersburg pair Aleksandr Kokorin and Oleg Shatov, directly contributed to the degeneration since Euro 2008’s run to the semi-finals.

    Dzagoev was meant to light up this stage. Instead, he exits with barely an impression made.

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