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

#3 Roman Zobnin vs Abdullah Otayf

Zobnin kept the Saudi midfield in

check,

while launching attacks of his own

In the battle of the defensive midfielders, it is not surprising that the Russian came out on top. The match was always going to be decided in midfield, and Zobnin controlled the game beautifully while Otayf failed to make an impact.

It was not Otayf's fault however, as he never had anyone making runs in the first place for him to release balls from the back. On the other hand, Zobnin always had players in front of him expectantly making runs in and around the opposition.

Zobnin vs Otayf - stats

Zobnin was also responsible for the second Russian goal when he collected Golovin's pass and chose to pass the ball to Cheryshev instead of simply going for the shot. It was thanks to Zobnin that Russia was not shaken by the initial onslaught (however slight it was), as he made key interceptions and counter plays with his passing.

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