Russia prove doubters wrong

MOSCOW, Russia: Russia have proved the doubters wrong — for the moment.The World Cup hosts showed nerves of steel and ruthless finishing in thumping Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the tournament’s opening match before an anxious crowd of nearly 80,000 in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on Thursday.

The emphatic result transformed the men in red from villains to heroes and gave Russians a rare sporting reason to rejoice.Everyone from senators and regional leaders to President Vladimir Putin himself congratulated coach Stanislav Cherchesov for Russia’s biggest World Cup victory in post-Soviet history.

It came at Luzhniki Stadium — the crucible of both Russian and Soviet sport — with the weight of an expectant but sceptical nation on their shoulders.“The head of state called me and congratulated me,” Russia’s moustachioed manager said matter-of-factly after the match.

Putin “told me to keep playing the way we were, to keep going.”“Give me five!” Moscow’s Sport Express newspaper exclaimed in a front-page headline. “Russia, we love you!”

It was not always like this for Cherchesov and his charges.The team entered the tournament without tasting victory in more than eight months.They had registered just one shot on target in their last two World Cup warmups.

Four of Russia’s defenders and a starting forward had been ruled out for the tournament with injuries.One Moscow news website dubbed the matchup between the 70th-ranked Russians and the 67th-ranked Saudis — the two worst teams in the tournament — as “Bad vs. Worse”.

Cherchesov kept fiddling around with formations and few could tell which players he would start once British pop star Robbie Williams finished belting out his opening ceremony set.

It all worked out in the end.But it will all get that much harder from here on out.“It could have easily been 1-1 if we were not careful,” said Cherchesov. “And our opponents will be getting stronger by the match.”Russia next play Egypt on June 19 in Saint Petersburg and finish off Group A against two-time World Cup winners Uruguay in Samara on June 25.