Russia is currently hosting the FIFA World Cup. It is attended by 32 teams from different parts of our planet. After the end of the second match in their group, the Russian national team reached the 1/8 finals of the FIFA World Cup.
The World Championship is being held in Russia for the first time. 32 teams are divided into 8 groups. Group A, together with Russia, includes Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.
Match Russia - Saudi Arabia
Before the game, Russian fans were skeptical about the future successes of their compatriots. The last friendly matches have shown that the players are not in very good shape. And the coach may not have guessed right with the line-up. As a result, the leader of the team of recent years, Denis Glushakov, did not go to the tournament. I also had to refuse the services of Dmitry Kombarov. For such bold steps, Stanislav Cherchesov, the head coach of the Russian national team, was constantly criticized by all specialists and fans. But as the World Championship games showed, the coach was right.
In the first game, Russian footballers met with Saudi Arabia. The game was played in the first half with the advantage of the Russians, and in the second there was a general rout. After the goals of Denis Cheryshev (twice), Artem Dzyuba, Alexander Golovin and Yuri Gazinsky, the final score was established - 5: 0 in favor of the Russian national team. The best player of the meeting was Denis Cheryshev, who scored two beautiful goals. So the first step was taken to reach the playoffs of the World Championship.
Match Russia - Egypt
After the first game, everyone's attitude towards the team changed. The specialists were delighted with the players, and the fans were happy for the team's success. Russia approached the second match in an even better mood. Throughout the game, the Russians never gave a single doubt about their victory. The defense did not allow the best forward in the world at the moment, Mohammed Salah, to turn around, and the attack scored three goals. One of the goals became an own goal from the Egyptian defender, and the Russians again scored Artem Dzyuba and Denis Cheryshev. As a result, the Russian national team won 3: 1 and reached the 1/8 finals of the World Championship ahead of schedule. But officially, this fact was confirmed after the victory of Uruguay over Saudi Arabia.
Now the Russian footballers will play against Uruguay for the first place in the group. And only then the opponent for the next round will be known. They can be the national teams of Spain, Portugal or Iran. Which opponent is more preferable for the Russian national team?
The Spanish national team is now in good shape and had to beat the Portuguese. But they include the brightest star of the World Championship, Cristiano Ronaldo. Therefore, their face-to-face duel ended in an effective draw. The Spaniards have the strongest players in the world in all lines of the team: Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta, Isco, David De Gea. But Portugal is less famous for its team play. In all matches, they scored goals through the efforts of only Cristiano Ronaldo. Of course, the option with the Iranian national team is more preferable, but you can hardly believe that they will beat the Portuguese in the last round of the group stage.
Therefore, the Russian national team needs to tune in to stronger rivals, which will be either Spain or Portugal. Moreover, the team is now in a great mood.
