For many Russian football fans, the World Cup really started only on June 17, when the Russian national team entered the field in the Brazilian city of Cuiaba to play their first match against South Korea. It was the final game of the first round in N.
For Russian football fans, the game turned out to be very nervous and tense, and neutral fans were frankly bored in the stands. The match began very slowly. Perhaps the heat that reigned on the court prevented the players from showing their full attacking potential. However, you can't blame everything on the weather.
After the first matches in all groups of the World Cup, it can be concluded that the teams are divided into very skilled, capable and weak. It is difficult for a neutral viewer to say which group to classify Russia and South Korea. It is worth mentioning, however, that the spectators in the stands and at the televisions expected more. The game was not a real football feast and celebration. There was strict work on the field, the players gave all their strength, but both teams did not succeed in creating in the first half. Rare long-range shots, crossings from the set did not bring the desired result to either one or the other. As a result, dull zeros burned on the scoreboard by the break.
After the break, the pace did not increase. The first dangerous blow to the goal was made by the Russians. The South Korean goalkeeper parried the ball after being kicked from outside the box. The Koreans responded in kind. Igor Akinfeev struggled to hit the balls after powerful long-range strikes. It would seem that nothing foreshadowed the troubles of the Russian national team, but at the 68th minute Lee Kyung Ho delivers another long-range strike, and the goalkeeper of the Russian national team makes a monstrous mistake. The ball slips out of the hands of Akinfeev and treacherously crosses the goal line. Koreans took 1 - 0.
The Russian national team became more active after the conceded goal. The Russians began to attack with great desire. It is possible that substitutions after 60 minutes played an important role in the match. Dzagoev and Kerzhakov appeared on the field. It was they who had to take on the burden of leadership in the attacking impulses of the Russian team. Fortunately, the replacements worked.
At 74 minutes Kerzhakov compares the score after hitting Dzagoev and the hustle and bustle in the goalkeeper's. 1 - 1 - Russian fans feel better. Only after that did the audience see the real desire of the Russians to go forward. However, they failed to score another goal. It should be admitted that the attacks of the Russians lacked intelligence, creativity and skill.
The final score of the meeting - 1 - 1. This draw became the third in the tournament. Russia and South Korea are gaining one point each and are tied for 2nd and 3rd place in Group H, yielding the leadership of the Belgian national team.
