Denis the menace on target again as Russia are soaring
RUSSIa lulled everybody into a false sense of security, including, it would seem, themselves. It wasn’t just the rest of the world who feared the hosts would exit at the group stage and kill the mood. The locals, including Vladimir Putin, were nervous about embarrassment on the world stage, too.
Why else would he let it be known that he would be unable to attend last night’s game played in his home city of St Petersburg, due to a meeting with Belarus president alexander Lukashenko?
Would he be watching on television, a spokesman was asked? That was a negative, too. Maybe Putin did not wish to be associated with the reverse many thought might happen against an Egyptian team with Mohamed Salah returning.
The president need not have worried. This was not Salah as we know him, or the russia we had come to expect. The side who could not win enough games to have a slump going into this competition will be among the first two qualifiers for the last 16 if Uruguay beat Saudi arabia today, as they surely will.
In two games, they have already scored the same number of goals as Spain did to win the World cup in 2010. This is the most impressive start by any host since Italy in 1934. In more ways than one, russia is confounding expectations.
It has been a campaign of surprises. Denis cheryshev couldn’t get in russia’s team when this World cup started. He is now the tournament’s joint top goalscorer with cristiano ronaldo — his three goals outstripping the two he has scored in his previous two seasons in La Liga with Villarreal. He had never even scored for russia before this tournament started.
It would be hard to convey to anyone who has seen their first two games just how woeful russia had looked preparing for this competition.
Not that Saudi arabia and Egypt are the trickiest opponents, but pressure does strange things. Maybe that was the key. By being so uniformly hopeless, the hosts removed all stress. They turned a home World cup into a free hit and then knocked it out of the park.
russia are playing very good football. No matter the opposition, a team cannot score eight in two games without performing well. True, they got a break for the first goal yesterday but no more than they deserved and the next two were corkers.
Mohamed Salah pulled one back from the penalty spot for Egypt, but was clearly short of fitness and didn’t look the same player who inspired Liverpool’s run to the champions League final. Unless Saudi arabia win today, Egypt are out.
Still, good news for Sergio ramos. He is no longer the most unpopular defender in Egypt. That title now goes to the unfortunate ahmed Fathi, whose own goal tilted this match in russia’s direction.
Depending on your statistical source, Fathi — briefly of Sheffield United and Hull — has made between 124 and 130 appearances for his country. Either way, it just goes to show that experience isn’t everything. His intervention two minutes after half-time was truly
game- changing and calamitous. Aleksandr Golovin struck a cross, which Mohamed Elshenawy in Egypt’s goal might have tried to take cleanly. Instead, he punched it, only for the ball to be recycled by Roman Zobnin with a weak, scuffed shot.
Enter Fathi, who turned this tame effort into Russia’s opener, panicked by the towering presence of striker Artem Dzyuba and slicing an attempted clearance into his own net. He chased referee Enrique Caceres of Paraguay, claiming a foul to hide his embarrassment, but Dzyuba hardly moved and the shot wasn’t even on target. Egypt then collapsed.
In the 59th minute, Russia doubled their advantage through the suddenly prolific Cheryshev. He was schooled at Real Madrid and it showed.
Mario Fernandes’ cut-back from the by-line was perfect, but Cheryshev’s finish was super cool — slotting the ball past Elshenawy from six yards. Egypt were clinging on to the game and probably the competition, by their fingertips.
Three minutes later, the clincher. Ilya Kutepov played a long ball up to Dzyuba who showed good touch before finishing smartly.
Would it have made a difference had Salah been fully fit? Possibly. He can win games on his own, as we have seen this season, but never looked to have that power here. He was there in spirit if not entirely in body.
Salah worked hard but, although he was spared defensive duties, didn’t look quite right and didn’t look as if he trusted the troublesome shoulder that had kept him out since the Champions League final encounter with Ramos.
The burst of acceleration was still there and, heaven knows, he was desperately striving to give his country their first World Cup win. But we’ve seen Salah — all 44 goals of him for Liverpool this season — and this wasn’t the same.
It took him until the 42nd minute to have a crack at the target but couldn’t quite get the ball under control before shooting. His effort lacked power and went wide.
Caceres would have made a hash of Sergey Ignashevich’s 72ndminute foul on Salah, giving a free-kick outside the area, but was corrected by VAR.
The Liverpool man got his consolation goal from the penalty spot — a memory of a tournament that promised so much and delivered only heartbreak.
Not for Russia, though. That was the first shot on target against them at this World Cup. It’s fair to say they’re flying.