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5-0 Thrashing! Russia spell S-A-U-D-I in World Cup opener

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Hosts Russia got off to the best possible start of their FIFA 2018 World Cup campaign by thrashing Saudi Arabia 5-0 in Group A opener in Moscow on Thursday.

The game, which began right after the opening ceremony at the Luzhniki Stadium, saw the hosts dominate from the very start to the end.

Yuri Gazinskiy scored the first goal of the tournament after 12 minutes when he headed in from Aleksandr Golovin’s cross, while substitute Denis Cheryshev doubled the lead before half-time.

Read Also: ‘Salah could emerge top goalscorer in Russia’

Another substitute, Artem Dzyuba, grabbed the third goal within two minutes of coming on by heading in from Golovin’s delivery on 71 minutes.

Cheryshev scored a spectacular goal on 91 minutes, before Golovin, who got the tournament’s first yellow card, curled in a stunning 25-yard free-kick to make it 5-0 on 94 minutes.

Saudi Arabia failed to register a shot on target as the hosts top the table, pending when their other group foes – Egypt and Uruguay play each other on Friday.

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