Who is Denis Cheryshev? 5 things to know about the Russian winger

#5 He is the 1st substitute to score in the opening match of a World Cup

When Denis was included in the preliminary squad for the World Cup, many thought he was not good enough and would not make the cut. But with his industrious style of play and hard work in the subsequent training camp, he proved his detractors wrong; he impressed Cherchesov enough to include him in his final 23-man squad.

So when Denis came onto to the pitch to replace the injured Alan Dzagoev it was his hard work that had put him in a place where finally his good luck could find him. The result: he scored the 2nd goal against Saudi Arabia.

With that goal the diminutive winger from Villarreal became the 1st substitute to score in an opening game of a World cup.

Denis has always been on the periphery for most of his career but now he is living his dream, fulfilling the potential that Los Blancos saw and returning the favor to his national team by scoring important goals in the biggest tournament of world football. For the first time in his career, he is at the right place at the right time and taking advantage of the right opportunities.