Uruguay 3-0 Russia: 5 Talking Points, World Cup 2018

#2 Will Stanislav Cherchesov stick or twist?

Igor Afinkeev had an indifferent outing

A comprehensive defeat for Russia in a game which was the first challenge in this World Cup doesn’t augur well for the manager and the team. Having scored eight goals in victories over Saudi Arabia and Egypt, they were already guaranteed to progress but once they shipped in the early goal, things only got worse.

A Diego Laxalt effort from 25 yards ricocheted off Denis Cheryshev leaving keeper Igor Akifneev desperately scrambling across his goal only to see the ball trickle in. Afinkeev despite having not made a save this tournament has already conceded three goals. The keeper though redeemed himself as the match progressed coming out to block and thwart Uruguayan attacks.

Desperate defending aside, Cherchesov will also have to deal with the absence of Igor Smolnikov who picked up a second yellow card and was sent off 35 minutes into his World Cup debut. A note must be taken of the fact that by then Russia had already conceded two goals. Their fragile performance will make them welcome opponents in the next round.

But then football rarely follows the script and Russia having realized the gig was up as early as the first half decided to stick to positions rather than chase and harass their opponents. However, this means for sure that Russia will now face their opposition at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, where they had a much more rewarding performance against Saudi Arabia.