Russia 5-0 Saudi Arabia: Hosts open World Cup in style

Russia 5-0 Saudi Arabia: Hosts open World Cup in style

Cheryshev scored twice as Russia began their tournament with a win

Russia kicked off the World Cup in style, hammering Saudi Arabia 5-0 in front of a crowd of 78,000 supporters. 

The hosts were in control from the moment Robbie Williams stopped singing -- the Brit performed before the match got underway -- and took an early lead through Yuri Gazinski. 

Villarreal winger Denis Cheryshev added the second before half-time, brilliantly controlling the ball in the box to take two rival defenders out of the game before firing home. 

Saudi Arabia rarely threatened a comeback and Russia added a third after the break when substitute Artiom Dziuba headed home minutes after coming on. 

Cheryshev then added his second with a fine effort with the outside of his boot from 20 yards before the impressive Alexander Golovin added the fifth in stoppage time via a free kick. 

The two other teams in the group, Luis Suarez's Uruguay and Egypt, will meet on Friday.