FIFA World Cup 2018: 'Are you kidding?' Russia coach is asked after they beat Saudi Arabia 5-0

Had you been kidding us and the rest of the world? The question from an English journalist for Russian coach Stanislav Cherchesov following his team’s surprise, but emphatic, 5-0 win over Saudi Arabia in the curtain raiser of the 2018 World Cup, was poignant, if not somewhat playful.

Moments earlier, Cherchesov had sneaked out of the press conference to take a phone call from the Russian president Vladimir Putin, who congratulated him and asked the Russian team to keep playing the way they had against the Falcons.

“To kid many people is very difficult, even for such masters as my players,” replied Cherchesov. “We haven’t been kidding anybody, we’ve been doing our job with a clear understanding of what is expected of us. We are not getting ahead of ourselves. We saw that we are on the right track but we should forget this game and concentrate on the next one.”

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His team were the rightful winners in an entertaining, if low-quality, opening game. The Russians demonstrated enough organised endeavour to control, dominate and ultimately humiliate a weak Saudi team. Cherchesov’s team exposed the defence, the Achilles heel of the Arabians, and scored at crucial moments in the first half to decide the game. The Saudis were broken and a confident Russia throttled their opponents.

Still, the victory had come as a surprise. Russian fans had little trust in their team going into the tournament. Russia is the lowest-ranked international side at the World Cup and ended a seven-game winless run with this victory.

The relief among the Russian players and fans was palpable. The fans became vociferous after the break with chants of ‘Russia, Russia’ rolling down from the stands. They enjoyed the Mexican wave, and, above all, a solid performance from their team.

But Cherchesov warned against complacency as Russia prepare for their next game against Egypt in St Petersburg. “Egypt will be a different game, city and stadium,” said Cherchesov. “We need to meticulously prepare ourselves.”

“We should turn the page, forget about this and concentrate on the next step.”