Uruguay secured the top spot in Group A of the 2018 World Cup after defeating hosts Russia 3-0 on Monday.

The South American’s took the lead during the first-half through a free-kick from Barcelona striker Luis Suarez in the 11th minute.

The game was virtually put out of reach for the Russians after Igor Smolnikov was given a red-card.

Diego Laxalt doubled the lead shortly after and Edinson Cavani scored another during the 90th which all but sealed the victory for the two time World Champions.

The host-country will certainly be frustrated with their performance and the result does nothing to end the beliefs of many of their doubters that they do not have what it takes to compete against the bigger nations.

However, all is not lost. They have qualified for the last-16 as group A runners-up with six points and will play against Spain in the round of 16.

They could also avoid playing against teams such as Brazil, Germany, and Belgium who could all well finish as the runners-up in their respective groups.

The post Uruguay Secure Top Spot in World Cup group A after Thrashing Russia appeared first on SportzBonanza.

2018 World Cup has officially kicked off with the game between host Russia and Saudi Arabia, and home fans couldn’t have wished for a better start of the tournament. Russia national soccer team not only managed to win but also did it in a convincing manner, scoring five goals and conceding zero.

It was a high flying start for Russians since Yuri Gazinsky scored the opening goal in the 12′ minute with a powerful header. After recovering from the initial shock, Saudi Arabia tried to get back into the game, but couldn’t find a way past Russia’s defense. Russia patiently waited for the opportunity to strike from a counter attack, which paid off in 43′ minute when Denis Cheryshev, who entered the game for injured Alan Dzagoev, scored a lovely goal.

The second halftime continued in the same fashion, with Russia being a better opponent majority of the time. They managed to extend their lead in 71′ minute when another substitute, Artem Dzyuba, scored a header after poor reaction of Saudi Arabia’s defense. Russians didn’t stop here since Denis Cheryshev and Aleksandr Golovin scored a goal each in added time for the final result of 5-0.

While this is certainly a great start for Russia at 2018 World Cup, their coach Stanislav Cherchesov won’t allow his players to get carried away.

“We are not getting ahead of ourselves” – said Cherchesov after the game. “We saw that we are on the right track but we should forget this game and concentrate on the next one.“

Saudi Arabia coach Juan Antonio Pizzi, on the other hand, doesn’t think Russia played a spectacular game and blames his own team for putting out a shameful performance in the game.

“I don’t think they did anything to surprise us,” – said Pizzi. “They won without doing much — a poor [Saudi Arabia] performance explains this result.“

You can check out the game’s highlights below.

The post Russia Defeats Saudi Arabia in 2018 World Cup Opening Game appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Uruguay secured the top spot in Group A of the 2018 World Cup after defeating hosts Russia 3-0 on Monday.

The South American’s took the lead during the first-half through a free-kick from Barcelona striker Luis Suarez in the 11th minute.

The game was virtually put out of reach for the Russians after Igor Smolnikov was given a red-card.

Diego Laxalt doubled the lead shortly after and Edinson Cavani scored another during the 90th which all but sealed the victory for the two time World Champions.

The host-country will certainly be frustrated with their performance and the result does nothing to end the beliefs of many of their doubters that they do not have what it takes to compete against the bigger nations.

However, all is not lost. They have qualified for the last-16 as group A runners-up with six points and will play against Spain in the round of 16.

They could also avoid playing against teams such as Brazil, Germany, and Belgium who could all well finish as the runners-up in their respective groups.

The post Uruguay Secure Top Spot in World Cup group A after Thrashing Russia appeared first on SportzBonanza.

2018 World Cup has officially kicked off with the game between host Russia and Saudi Arabia, and home fans couldn’t have wished for a better start of the tournament. Russia national soccer team not only managed to win but also did it in a convincing manner, scoring five goals and conceding zero.

It was a high flying start for Russians since Yuri Gazinsky scored the opening goal in the 12′ minute with a powerful header. After recovering from the initial shock, Saudi Arabia tried to get back into the game, but couldn’t find a way past Russia’s defense. Russia patiently waited for the opportunity to strike from a counter attack, which paid off in 43′ minute when Denis Cheryshev, who entered the game for injured Alan Dzagoev, scored a lovely goal.

The second halftime continued in the same fashion, with Russia being a better opponent majority of the time. They managed to extend their lead in 71′ minute when another substitute, Artem Dzyuba, scored a header after poor reaction of Saudi Arabia’s defense. Russians didn’t stop here since Denis Cheryshev and Aleksandr Golovin scored a goal each in added time for the final result of 5-0.

While this is certainly a great start for Russia at 2018 World Cup, their coach Stanislav Cherchesov won’t allow his players to get carried away.

“We are not getting ahead of ourselves” – said Cherchesov after the game. “We saw that we are on the right track but we should forget this game and concentrate on the next one.“

Saudi Arabia coach Juan Antonio Pizzi, on the other hand, doesn’t think Russia played a spectacular game and blames his own team for putting out a shameful performance in the game.

“I don’t think they did anything to surprise us,” – said Pizzi. “They won without doing much — a poor [Saudi Arabia] performance explains this result.“

You can check out the game’s highlights below.

The post Russia Defeats Saudi Arabia in 2018 World Cup Opening Game appeared first on SportzBonanza.