Russians Revel After Dream World Cup Opener, Saudi Players Face Penalty for Loss
Russia football team's Denis Cheryshev (C) scores against Saudi Arabia during their FIFA World Cup football match in Moscow on July 14 (Pic credit: IANS).
It’s amazing how the mood in the camp changes with a result. The whole of Russia have joined the FIFA World Cup party after their team’s big win in the opening match against Saudi Arabia, who, struggling as they are to come to terms with the loss, are facing penalty from their federation.
The home players, just like millions of Russians across the country, celebrated the “dream” start to the tournament.
"There are no words to express my feeling right now," said Denis Cheryshev, who scored two goals in the 5-0 victory in Moscow on Thursday (July 14).
READ MORE | FIFA World Cup, Brought to You by Big Business
"I dreamed of a night like this,” he added. “I'm happy for my team and my family. They have suffered so much with my injuries and they deserve this result. I'm extremely happy that we have won but we shouldn't relax. We have to keep focusing to try to progress (in the tournament)."
Russian coach Stanislav Cherchesov wanted his team to quickly overcome the euphoria and focus on the job at hand.
The result marked Russia's first win at the World Cup since a 0-2 defeat of Tunisia in the 2002 edition in Japan and South Korea. The significance of the victory was best illustrated when Cherchesov had to temporarily leave his post-match press conference to take a call from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
READ MORE | Brazil Rely on Jesus and Team Spirit to Win FIFA World Cup in Russia
"He asked me to share my congratulations with the team and told us to keep playing like this," the coach said.
“It's just the beginning. It could have been 1-1 and nothing would have changed,” he added, quickly gaining composure. "We need to get through the group. We won the first match in the (2017) Confederations Cup 2-0 but we didn't get very far. This result shows that we are on the right track. But we should turn the page now and focus on what's ahead."
Saudis crestfallen
Saudi Arabia’s players were understandably upset. To add to that, they now face face a disciplinary penalty for their crushing defeat. One can’t help but question the logic behind such an action in the middle of the tournament as it could further demoralize the team and dent their chances of making a comeback, however unlikely that may be.
"We are very disappointed by the defeat," Saudi Football Federation chief Adel Ezzat was quoted as saying by the Al-Youm Assabaa newspaper.
READ MORE | Spain has Enough Leaders in Team to Overcome Lopetegui Jolt: Xavi
Ezzat named three players who would face action.
"This result is totally unsatisfactory because it does not reflect the true level of our preparedness,” he added. "Several players will face a penalty -- goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf, striker Mohammad Al-Sahlawi and defender Omar Hawsawi."
The chairman of the General Sport Authority of Saudi Arabia, Turki bin Abdulmohsen Al-Sheikh, described the game as a "total fiasco" in a video address posted on Twitter.
On July 16, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation refuted reports that it had singled out certain players for disciplinary action, stating that such an act would've humiliated some footballers in front of the others, and that the defeat displayed the skill level of the entire team, reported Sputnik news agency.
In its next game, Saudi Arabia face Uruguay in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on June 20, while Russia play Egypt.
(With inputs from IANS)
Get the latest reports & analysis with people's perspective on Protests, movements & deep analytical videos, discussions of the current affairs in your Telegram app. Subscribe to NewsClick's Telegram channel & get Real-Time updates on stories, as they get published on our website.
