What you missed from the opening game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup (PHOTOS)
The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicked off with an explosive start as Russia pulled off a dominating win over Saudi Arabia.
The Russian squad dazzled in front of a near 80,000 crowd with a 5-0 win to open the tournament.
@TeamRussia/Twitter
@TeamRussia/Twitter
Saudi Arabia began with a fast start, in an attempt to catch the host team flat-footed.
Scoring opened with Russia’s Yury Gazinsky, who received a cross from Aleksandr Golovin and headed home the first goal of the tournament.
FIFA World Cup/Twitter
FIFA World Cup/Twitter
Midfielder Alan Dzagoev was pulled early from the game due to injury and it was later confirmed that he will undergo an MRI scan on a potential hamstring injury.
@TeamRussia/Twitter
Russia later doubled the lead as Denis Cheryshev potted the team’s second goal before the end of the first half.
@TeamRussia/Twitter
In the second half, after several substitutions, Dzyuba entered the match and immediately made an impact, making it 3-0 on his first touch.
The game ended with just as much intensity as it began with, as Cheryshev buried a far strike and Golovin scored directly off a free kick. The final score reads 5-0 for Russia.
@TeamRussia/Twitter
@TeamRussia/Twitter
Cheryshev, with two goals, was named Man of the Match. Action continues tomorrow with three matches, perhaps the most prominent being Portugal taking on Spain later in the day.
@TeamRussia/Twitter