Hosts run riot in Moscow

RAMPANT Russia made the critics eat their words – before coach Stanislav Cherchesov insisted he knew what he was doing all along.

Cherchesov’s side had been written off as no-hopers but they turned the tables in style in Moscow to win their first World Cup finals match for 16 years.

Local media, pundits and former players described this as the worst Russian team ever seen in the build-up to the tournament, and were predicting a national embarrassment.

Russia are the lowest-ranked team in the finals and had not won in seven games.

Their best player, Alan Dzagoev, limped out with a potentially tournament-ending hamstring stage for the first time since the collapse of the old Soviet Union.

Cherchesov said: “It was the Head of State who called me and asked me to share his congratulations with the team.

“To be good is one thing. To be good at the right place and right time is a different thing altogether.

“We had a plan. We knew what we were doing.”

Saudi Arabia had 61 per cent possession but didn’t get a single shot on target and haven’t won a game in the finals since 1994.

Gazinsky set the ball rolling with his first international goal and Cheryshev made it two before half-time.

Dzyuba headed a third shortly after coming on before Cheryshev made it four and Golovin fired home a stoppage-time free-kick.