Zimpapers Logo

Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
RUSSIA provided the fireworks in an electric start to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Moscow last night as they powered to the biggest winning margin by the hosts, on the opening day of the showcase, in 84 years with a five-star demolition of Saudi Arabia.

On a day that had been illuminated by British pop star Robbie Williams’ superb performance, the Russians responded with a destruction of the Saudis to send the majority of 78 011 fans packed into the Luzhinik Stadium, and 144 million of their countrymen and women across the world’s biggest country, into delirium.

Not since hosts Italy embarked on their World Cup adventure with a 7-1 massacre of the United States on May 27, 1934, in Rome, has the globe witnessed such a blitzkrieg on the opening day of this tournament with the Russians making a mockery of their struggles, in the countdown to their show.

Yesterday’s margin of victory eclipsed the 3-0 victory which France inflicted on South Africa in the opening match of the 1998 World Cup and Sweden’s victory, by a similar three-goal margin, over Mexico in the 1958 World Cup which the Scandinavian nation hosted.

Brazil’s 4-0 win over Mexico in the 1950 World Cup opening match was also overshadowed.
For those tied to Zimbabwean football, looking for something to relate to the drama which unfolded in Moscow yesterday, it was like the Russians were intent on scoring a goal for every World Cup qualifying tournament which our Warriors have been involved in since the heady days of our Dream Team in the ‘90s.

There have been five World Cup qualifying battles for us since the Dream Team came within one win, in the final game of a place at the ‘94 showcase — ‘98, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 — with our boys missing the 2018 qualifiers after they were expelled without kicking a ball.

Others will probably say it brought back a flood of memories of the five-goal mauling, which the Warriors suffered in the CAF Group 4 final qualifier for a place at the 2006 World Cup, at the Abuja Stadium in Abuja at the hands of the Super Eagles on October 8 2005.

Benjani scored our consolation in a 1-5 defeat while a double by Obafemi Martins and goals from Atanda Yussuf, Nwanko Kanu and Peter Odemwingie powered the Super Eagles to that win.

Yesterday’s game was also historic in that it marked the first time that two substitutes have both scored in the opening match of the World Cup finals with man-of-the-match Denis Cheryshev on target twice while Artem Dzubya scored one for the Russians.
Dzyuba’s goal came just 89 seconds after he had risen from the bench and that gave him the honours of scoring the quickest goal by a substitute in the World Cup since Marcin Zewlakow struck for Poland against the United States 16 years ago.

Jury Gazinsky opened the scoring with a header and the hosts doubled their lead in the first half before Aleksandr Golovin’s brilliant free-kick curled around the wall and found its spot to seal a comprehensive victory.

Gazinskiy’s headed opener marked the first time that the World Cup has seen the opening goal coming from a header since Francois Omam-Biyik’s giant leap at Italia ’90 helped him score the only goal that powered the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon to a shock 1-0 win over defending champions Argentina.

‘’The acronym for Saudi Arabia is KSA but, to be fair, Russia might have got a better game out of KFC,’’ Martin Samuel, writing for Mailonline, noted.

Russian coach Stanislav Cherchesov said he expects tougher matches in the future.
‘’I would like to underscore that we are grateful to our squad with how they fulfilled our goals, how they played in a relaxed game under the pressure stemming from this being an opening match,’’ he said in his post-match comments carried on the official FIFA World cup website.

‘’But Egypt will be a different game, city and stadium, We need to meticulously prepare ourselves.”
His Saudi counterpart, Juan Antonio Pizzi, said it was a big and unexpected defeat.
“It was a tough game and we suffered a big and unexpected defeat. Russia did very well, while we did not appear to be in good shape. I don’t believe that the opposing team has done anything to surprise us — I think that a poor performance explains the result.

‘’As for our strategy, we must change. We have to forget about it now and think of the next match. I have confidence in these players.”

Interestingly, his players had 60 percent of the possession compared to 40 percent for their opponents while they also enjoyed a better passing accuracy, 86 percent, compared to the Russians 78 percent.

But, in this game, it’s the goals that matter and the Saudis, who have now not won any of their 11 games at the World Cup, drawing two and losing nine, were left buried in an avalanche on a day when records were broken.

The odds were always against them, even against this Russian side which had struggled in the countdown to this match, because no host nation has ever lost their first match at the World Cup where those who are staging the tournament have won 16 times and drawn six.