Finally let loose after a year-long diet of international friendlies, hosts Russia roared their World Cup intent to the rafters on Thursday (Jun 14) with a 5-0 tournament opening win over Saudi Arabia.
Russian players celebrate a goal
against Saudi Arabia.
(Photo: Reuters)
The
Russians served up an adrenaline-fuelled performance for an 80,000-capacity
Luzhniki crowd which included President Vladimir Putin and the Saudi crown
prince.
The Saudis, ranked three places above Russia at 67 in
the world rankings, played some nice, tight football at times, but were never
able to match the Russian hosts for energy or intent.
Luzhniki exploded into raptures after only 12 minutes
when Yury Gazinsky headed home for the opener. Better still, with Russians
looking for the early shoots of a footballing Renaissance in a side cramped by
a financially rich but poor quality domestic league, the cross that set up the
tournament's opening goal came from CSKA Moscow's 22-year-old Aleksandr
Golovin.
His potential move to Juventus stirred excitement at home
this week after years in which Europe's best
clubs have lost almost all interest in Russian talent.
Denis Cheryshev showed great skill of his own to double the
hosts' lead just before half time with a left-footed piledriver, and Artem
Dzyuba headed Russia's third in the 71st minute - 89 seconds after coming on as
a substitute.
Cheryshev and Golovin hit a further two in injury time,
the latter from a free kick, to complete the visitors' misery.
Egypt and Uruguay are due to play the second
Group A match in Yekaterinburg on Friday.
Source: NDO
In addition to their love for traditional sports, people in communes and towns in Lac Son district also have a special passion for volleyball - a sport that is easy to play, helping enhance collectivity and bring a lot of joy, motivation, and laughter.
On March 23rd, in Mai Chau district, 5 competition distances of Vietnam Ultra Marathon in 2024 (Vietnam Ultra Marathon 2024 - VUM 2024) organized by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mai Chau District’s People's Committee, Co., Ltd. Phu Thinh (Topas Travel) took place. This is the latest running race in the Topas Vietnam Trail Series and was held in Mai Chau district for the first time.
From March 21st – 23rd, the Department of Education and Training organized the Badminton - Table Tennis Tournament for students in Hoa Binh province in 2024.
The continuous sound of drums and the constant cheers of the viewers at each competition, the match have shown the appeal of the folk games. Having the opportunity to come to the festivals in Hoa Binh, visitors will be fascinated by the form of entertainment containing good traditional cultural values.
In two days, March 3rd – 4th, the Women's Union of Hoa Binh city coordinated with the Center for Culture, Sports and Information of the city to organize the 1st Women's Steam Volleyball Tournament in Hoa Binh in 2024.