Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WORLD CUP 2018 SHEIKHS RATTLED AND GOALS
No easy games at World Cup? Russians rule it FACT FILE
THERE are no easy games in international football – unless of course you are playing Saudi Arabia.
Hosts Russia, written off by their countrymen before the tournament began, could not have asked for more obliging opponents as they ended a seven-game winless run in style.
Egypt’s Mo Salah and Uruguay’s Luis Suarez will fancy their chances of stacking up the goals in the Golden Boot race when they face the Saudis in the group stage.
And if this is how one-sided games can be with 32 teams in the World Cup, imagine how farcical it will become when expanded to 48 nations in 2026.
Russia, at 70th the lowestranked side in the tournament, made their opponents – three places above them in the ratings – pay heavily for their failings and registered the biggest win by a host nation in the opening game of a World Cup since 1934.
Coach Stanislav Cherchesov denied he and his side had been fooling the football world with their poor run in the build-up, which gave no indication they were capable of such a victory.
“To kid so many people is very difficult, even for such masters as my players,” said Cherchesov. “We haven’t been kidding anybody, we’ve just been doing our job.
“To be good is one thing, to be good at the right time is a different thing altogether and we did that.
“We’re not trying to silence Russia’s victory means the host nation has never lost their opening match in any of the 21 editions of the World Cup (W16 D6 L0). Russia scored more than twice anyone here, we’re just trying to do our work.”
Two-goal Denis Cheryshev, whose recent career has been blighted by injury, said: “There are no words to express what I’m feeling right now.
“I’m happy we won, happy for the team and for my own family, the amount of goals in this game
(5) than in the entire 2014 World Cup finals over three games (2). Saudi Arabia have conceded 14 headed goals at the World Cup since their debut in 1994, that’s five more than any other team over that period (USA 9).