Russia vs Argentina: 5 talking points

#5 The World Cup final venue opens with a whimper

International friendly: Russia vs Argentina

In a refurbished Luzhniki stadium in the Russian capital of Moscow, Russia and Argentina inaugurated the World Cup final venue in a way that would leave many with a sour taste. This was supposed to be a clash where either the latter would light up the thronging arena with a goal-fest, or watch the FIFA 2018 hosts give their more glamorous counterparts a hard time, none of which happened and left the fans disappointed.

The Luzhniki stadium did not play hosts to any of the Confederations Cup game earlier this year, owing to the reparatory works under process. Having only completed the same, this was the first game to be held in the Moscow-based stadium, the same place where next year's mega event would come to a conclusion. And the inauguration, albeit only a friendly, was hardly memorable.

Argentina glimpsed their lethal attacking unit with some close calls in the first half, but the nerve-edging moments were few and far between. Russia being the underdogs here, completely justified their status with a meek show in which only the goalkeeping personnel stood out. The rest were just comce comca.

The visitors' superior quality eventually made the difference and also ensuring that the game got a deservedly fitting end, rather than a dour and mundane draw.