World Cup 2018, Russia 5-0 Saudi Arabia: 3 key battles that decided the game

#2 Denis Cheryshev vs Osama Hawsawi

After coming on as a sub, Cheryshev had an extraordinary impact on the game

Denis Cheryshev only came on as a substitute after Dzagoev pulled his hamstring in the 24th minute, but he was the second-best player of the match after Golovin - and was even awarded the official man of the match for his performance.

After a mistake from the Saudi defense, Cheryshev got the ball at the edge of the box and when most would have hit it first time, he was clever enough to take a first touch. Then, with his second touch, he passed the defender and banged it into the top left corner with his left foot.

If the first goal was a beauty, the second was just a beast. After Akinfeev hoofed the ball upfield, and Dzyuba controlled it down with his head, Cheryshev collected it and banged it into the top right corner with the outside of his left foot.

Saudi Arabia's captain had his hands full for the night, as his team simply could not keep with the Russians. He was too slow on his own, but he put in a couple of tackles when possible. The major concern was the space they allowed for the Russians to exploit, which they were more than happy to.

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