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Russia hosted Brazil at the Luzhniki stadium today and the Brazilians ran out 3-0 winners in an end to end affair. It didn't look like it would be a routine win for Brazil in the first half as Russia defended very well and had a couple of chances themselves to take the lead. It ended scoreless at the half-time whistle.
Brazil switched gears in the second half and increased the tempo. As a result, they scored the opening goal in the 53rd minute as Miranda stuck it past a helpless Akinfeev, who could only parry a header from Thiago Silva straight to the defender.
Minutes later, Paulinho was pulled back inside the box and the referee awarded a penalty. Coutinho stepped up and buried it to make it 2-0. The tie was put into bed when Paulinho found himself unmarked inside the box and headed the ball into the net, after superb work from Willian.
Russia played well and maybe the scoreline was a bit harsh to them as they had their own chances and came close on many occasions, including working the post in the second half but failed to convert any of them.
Here's how Twitter reacted:
Here are the goals:
Brazil fans were clearly happy with the result.
Some stats to take away:
