World Cup 2018: Russia vs Saudi Arabia, Live Score and Commentary

PEEP! PEEP! PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP! That, then, is very much that.

The Russians, playing some absolutely superb football, have demolished a hopeless Saudi team with almost contemptous ease -- playing in a manner that the whole world thought was beyond them, playing with charisma, confidence, and arrogance. Lovely to see.

This has been some start to the greatest sporting spectacle on Planet Earth. Keep this up for a month, and WOOF! That's all from me, Anirudh Menon, thank you for reading!

Toodle-ooo

Oh my days. That was sublime. Golovin curled an absolute peach of a ball, up, above and into the far corner of a battered Saudi goal. What a goal. What a start.

94' ... GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! GOLOOOOOOOOOOOOVIN!

93' Ten seconds to go and Golovin is brought down at the edge of the box by an utterly frustrated Taisir Al Jassam... Golovin stands over it...

Zobnin lumped it forward, Dzyuba cushioned a header easily into Cheryshev's path -- and from just outside the box, he lashed in an absolutely splendid outside-of-the-boot half-volley into the far corner. What a sublime goal, that.

91' GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! CHERYSHEV! OH MY! WHAT A GOAL!

90' Kuzyaev's corner is rubbish, doesn't clear the first man. THREE MINUTES TO BE ADDED ON

89' Russia have looked remarkably comfortable all day long. Vastly superior. Dzyuba leads another Russian counter - all pure power and muscle - and the move ends with Russia winning another corner.

88' An sharp attack from the Saudi right leads to a scramble in the Russian box, but Kutepov's clearance sends Golovin on his way - all the way till Osama Al Hawsawi who simply shrugs him off the ball.

86' OOOO! From a delightful Yuri Zhirkov freekick, Mohamed Aseri (who's come on in place of Al Sahlawi) hacks it clear just ahead of an interested looking Golovin

84' Can't fault him for going for it. After being set up by Golovin, Kuzyaev smashes the ball into orbit from well over thirty yards

82' Hattem Babhir looks to create something out of nothing but his left-footed hammer of a shot is straight into a wall of Russian bodies. The home side have been brilliant.

79' Fernandes bullies Al Dawsari off the ball and sets Gazinskiy off on another counter -- but after a couple of neat touches from Golovin and Kuzyaev, the move breaks down when Denis Cheryshev is bullied off the ball by Mohammed AL Burayk. Perfect symmetry, that.

78' The last time an opening match ended 3-0 was in 1958. Good portents for the month ahead -- I pray

77' ... it's dinked up to Golovin, but the midfielder can't keep his header on target.

76' The Russians win a freekick in dangerous-looking position. Artem Dzyba, inside the box, wants it knocked into him ...

74' The Saudis throw on Hattan Babhir for Yehya Al Shehri in a bid to rescue something from this game.

73' Salem Al Dawsari has had enough of all the passing about, faffing about and tries to curl one in from thirty yards. It whistles close to the far post, but Akinfeev looked uninterested.

LOVELY, LOVELY GOAL! Golovin lifted in a superb little dink into the box, Dzyuba toward over the two Hawsaris and absolutely thulped a header in. That was his first touch of the game. What a touch.

70' GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! DZYUBAAAAAAAAAAAA!

69' The Russians throw on the human locomotive that is Artem Dzyuba in place of the impressive Fedor Smolov

68' Some lovely Russian passing leads to a spell of concentrated pressure from the Russians but a lovely turn-and-crossfield from Al Dawsari almost allows Al Jassim to find Al Muwallad, but Kutepov gets in the way

67' OH! GOALMOUTH ACTION! Zobnin bursts into the box and lashes on at Maiouf, and the goalkeeper can't keep the ball in his grasp; he can, though, smother it just before Smolov can reach it.

66' Gazinskiy does superbly to lead Al Sahlawi on a tour of Moscow, the Kremlin, the Red Square, the works... before playing a lovely ball out to Cheyshev and Russia build another smooth looking passing move

65' OH! Smolov misses Cheryshev's run and holds onto the ball too long as Russia charge forward on their 4,587th counter, before finding him with a chip pass into the box; this time the ex-Real Madrid man's header loops harmlessly into the hands of Al Maiouf

63' Saudi's most exciting talent - Fahad Al Muwallad - is brought on for Abdul Otayf. Meanwhile, Alexander Samedov is replaced by the younger legs of Mikhail Kuziaev

62' Smolov's really having fun out there - he sets off another Russian counter with a sublime backheel through Al Shahrani's legs... but the Saudis hold firm and the Russians have to recycle possession.

61' Stanislav Cherchesov must be so pleased with his sides performance today. They've been interesting going forward and solid as an oak at the back. Just what you want.

59' Al Burayk lazily gives the ball away to Zobnin- all the Russian had to do was wait for the Saudi to take a heavy touch near him - but the move breaks down when Gazinskiy's ball into Smolov's feet doesn't reach its intended recipient.

58' Al Dawsari swings in a freekick from an interesting looking area into the box -- but Salman Al Faraj heads it woefully over from just outside the six-yard box

56' OH MY! WHY DID HE NOT GO FOR IT! Al Jassam swung in an absolute peach of a ball -- after nearly a minute's worth of possession -- and at the near post Al Sahlawi merely dangles a tame leg at it... it eludes him, and Al Dawsari who'd come steaming into the centre. If Al Sahlawi had flung himself at it, this could well be 2-1

55' Zobnin runs into an Osama-shaped brick wall as he looks to charge down the middle, and once again the Saudi's enjoy a neat little spell of possession.

54' I'll be honest, the Saudis don't look like scoring. At all. The Russians are another story altogether. Golovin releases Cheryshev down the left, but the goalscorer's cross is easily cut out by Osama Al Hawsawi

53' Fernades and Samedov try to flick their way down the Russian right flank, but the latter's touch deserts him at the second time of asking and the ball peters away harmlessly for a Saudi throw-in

51' WOOOF! Samedov gets onto the ball after some increasingly pleasing one-touch football from the Russian midfield - but instead of slipping in Mario Fernandes down the right, he opts for glory and lashes one into the Kremlin.

49' The Saudis are linking up rather well in the middle of the park. Pizzi's possession style coming to the fore; but it's when they look for a killer ball into the final third that it all unravels. Al Shehri's horrible ball is cut out by Golovin and he sends Smolov away -- but Osama al Hawsawi gets an important foot in and the ball rockets away for a corner, dangerously close to the unguarded Saudi near post

48' Al Shahrani is bullied into giving the ball away by Smolov - it's a Russian throw in, but Smolov's heavy touch immediately hands it back to the Saudis.

47' They kick it around, with the ball not going anyplace material

46' PEEP! WE ARE OFF AGAIN! The Russians start the way they ended the first, firmly on the front foot

The players are out again, and the Russians are all set to kick off

PEEP! PEEP! THAT'S HALFTIME! And the hosts have a 2-0 advantage heading into the break.

The Saudi defence, apart from Osama Al Hawsawi, have been all over the place, the Russian attack has been electric -- in a way that we haven't seen for decades -- and Denis Cheryshev's just scored an absolute wonder goal. WOOF.

Now, this is how you start a World Cup.

45' + 2' Even less happens.

45' + 1' Nothing happens.

45' Two minutes to be added on. This is some football from the hosts. Lovely to see them smash the critics' previews and analysis into absolute smithereens.

WHAT A GOAL! OH MY GOOD LORD, WHAT. A. GOAL. Golovin raced onto a weak Al Shahrani pass to Omar, got to it ahead of the centre-back, played it to Smolov. The big centre-forward took a touch and played a horribly under-strength pass to Cheryshev -- and with Al Burayk and Osama bearing down on him, the chance seemed gone. Denis Cheryshev, though, took the most sublime of touches -- sending the two Saudis charging into space, say hello to Sputnik lads, before steadying himself and absolutely leathering it into the roof of the net.

44' GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! CHERYSHEEEEVVVVVVV!!!!

42' OH MY! Cheryshev sells the otherwise unbeatable Osama with a lovely touch; but he oversells it by trying to flick it around the proud Saudi captain again... and runs out of space

41' A slight lull in the action as both teams prepare for one final push before half-time.

39' WOOF! Golovin turning on the style now... a seal dribble sees his go nowhere, but he does waltz straight into our hearts. 'tis so lovely these Russians are pulling off these tricks and flicks on the biggest stage of them all. They're living a Guy Ritchie Nike commercial.

38' Al Shahrani kills a steepler of a goalkick dead with a velvet-cushioned touch that would have made Zizou blush... he then moves it on to Salman Al Faraj, whose square ball is completely, and inexplicably, missed by Al Sahlawi

World Cup 2018: Russia vs Saudi Arabia, Live Score and Commentary

World Cup 2018 | Russia vs Saudi Arabia | Russia vs Saudi Arabia Live Score and Commentary