Full time: Russia 2-0 New Zealand
Marinovic makes an excellent save from Bukharov’s close-range shot, the last action of the match. It’s been a good day for the hosts Russia, who were comfortable winners over New Zealand and played some nice football at times. Any player in the world would have been happy with Dmitry Poloz’s adroit assist for the first goal, scored by Denis Glushakov. We’ll learn a lot more about Russia on Wednesday, when they play the European champions Portugal. Thanks for your company, bye!
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89 min Smolov, who has had a superb second half, hits a good low shot from 20 yards that is saved by the plunging Marinovic.
84 min Almost a third for Russia. Smolov moves away from Tuiloma with ease on the left and slides a low ball right across the face of goal. Bukharov just couldn’t reach it.
80 min Smith is lucky not to be booked for a thoroughly inept hack at Smolov.
78 min From the resulting corner, Smith’s header is kicked off the line by Zhirkov!
77 min A long throw is headed away to Thomas, who controls it and belts a lovely half-volley towards goal from 25 yards. Akinfeev springs spectacularly to his left to push it away.
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77 min A Russia substitution: Tarasov replaces Erokhin.
75 min New Zealand put together a long passing move, probably their best of the match. Eventually Tuiloma’s cross is half cleared to Thomas, who chests the ball down on the edge of the area and then, anticipating a hit that never comes, falls over and loses possession.
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71 min Another NZ substitution: Shane Smeltz replaces Marco Rojas, who did not live up to his ‘Kiwi Messi’ tag.
GOAL! Russia 2-0 New Zealand (Smolov 69)
Fyodor Smolov starts and finishes the move that seals victory for Russia. He moved confidently away from Thomas in the centre circle and ran to within 25 yards of goal before playing an insouciant pass wide to Samedov. He slid a low first-time ball across goal, Boxall miskicked his attempted clearance and Smolov stabbed the ball into an open net at the far post.
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67 min This hasn’t quite been a contender for the Joy of Six: 1-0 thrashings, but it has been very one-sided. Russia have improved as the game has gone on, with Golovin and Poloz their most impressive attackers.
64 min A Russia substitution: the impressive Poloz is replaced by Aleksandr Bukharov.
62 min A New Zealand substitution: Bill Tuiloma of Marseille replaces Barbarbarbarbarouses. Russia eventually take the free-kick that was awarded sometime last year, and Samedov curls it just over the bar. I think Marinovic had it covered.
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61 min The increasingly influential Golovin is fouled 25 yards from goal. We tend to associate Russia with neat, precise passing but today they have had a lot of success with crosses.
60 min New Zealand have offered very little in open play. Rojas and Barbarouses, the apparently lively forwards, have struggled to get on the ball.
58 min “As a left-leaning, politically conscious newspaper, why is the Guardian not boycotting the Confederations Cup (and next year’s World Cup) on human rights grounds?” says Ian Plenderleith. “How can you justify covering games in stadiums where, according to Human Rights Watch, 17 workers have died, and several thousand have been employed under exploitative conditions? Wouldn’t it be worthwhile for at least one media outlet to take a stance against the dissent-crushing Putin government? Just wondering at what point stamping on human rights becomes more important than football.”
Yes, that’s an interesting point. It’s a pretty complex issue, such is the personal nature of morality, and I don’t know whether it was discussed. You need plenty of courage and conviction to do something like that.
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56 min It looks like the goal has now gone down as a Michael Boxall own goal.
54 min “Hey hey!” says Danny Androutsos. “Kiwi in Moscow here. Watching at home on a bad stream with American commentary. Weird. Conflicted between watching the rest of this and heading off to a work poker night...”
Work poker night? You mean it’s possible to work with people you actually want to see outside the office?
53 min Russia have looked bright and breezy since half-time. Golovin goes on a lovely surge through midfield before carefully teeing up Poloz on the left of the box. He shapes a first-time curler towards the far post that is palmed out by the diving Marinovic, and Smolov is denied a tap-in when Thomas stretches to put the ball behind for a corner.
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49 min “This game started at 3am in New Zealand,” says Gareth Bedford. “I deeply regret staying up for it, but the sunk cost means I’ll probably end up watching the rest, despite low likelihood of decent football breaking out.”
48 min Marinovic makes a terrific double save. Poloz arrived late to meet Smolov’s right-wing cross with a rising header back across goal. Marinovic leapt to palm that away and got straight to his feet to spread himself and block Erokhin’s close-range follow-up. That was brilliant, the second save in particular.
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47 min New Zealand appeal for a penalty when the ball hits Erokhin’s chest or arm inside the box. Again the referee decides not to use the VAR. We haven’t seen a replay yet.
46 min Peep peep! Russia begin the second half.
Poloz’s part in the goal was so good. Dennis Bergkamp couldn’t have done it better. The ball was fired at him from close range by Erokhin, and came at an awkward height as well. In a split-second he adjusted his body and helped the ball first time into the space behind the defence, weighting the touch perfectly to meet Glushakov’s run. It was a tremendous touch.
Half-time business
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“Afternoon Rob,” says Andrew Beaumont. “Kiwi now living in London (with about half of NZ’s population) watching the football. If you’re worried about NZ being an “All White” team, our away strip is a very smart black one which will dissuade any racist notions. I can say that supporting the All Whites on the ground in South Africa in 2010 was a very interesting experience...”
Did you have any waitresses called Suzie?
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Half time: Russia 1-0 New Zealand
Peep peep! That was an enjoyable half of football between two admittedly limited teams. Russia deservedly lead through Denis Glushakov’s goal. See you in 10 minutes!
45+1 min A free-kick to New Zealand near the halfway line. Set pieces are their best chance. They have angled all of them towards Wood at the far post, with mixed results. This time it’s headed out to Thomas, who shanks his half-volley on the edge of the area.
44 min Boxall shoves Zhirkov - yep, that one - over on the left wing. Samedov’s free-kick is rubbish.
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41 min “DO YOU GET LOTS OF EMAILS DOING THESE..?” says Joseph Kennedy. “I’m a long-time reader first-time writer. In Canada getting off night shift in oil sand Having a few beers and found this on TV. Twenty years ago you have had trouble finding the World Cup itself on TV. And even five years ago qualifiers were hard to find now all soccer is everywhere. Seems like a reasonably entertaining game to my uneducated eye.”
It depends on the game. Sometimes you get 10 emails all match, and you have to beg for those. Other times a swollen inbox contributes significantly to an already frazzled noggin.
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39 min Glushakov plays a penetrative pass down the inside-left channel to Smolov, who comes back inside onto his right foot and bends a tame effort well wide of the far post.
37 min “Would that it were so simple?” sniffs Sadeq. “There’s only one scene that comes to mind. I half imagine Anthony Hudson trying to teach Winston Reid how to pull off a defence splitting quarterback pass. Trippingly.”
That’s one of the great examples of a classic scene in an average film.
34 min Scratch that: it hit the post, hit McGlinchey and went in, but I suspect it was Glushakov’s goal as it would probably have spun over the line anyway. And, because, y’know.
33 min On reflection, I think that might be an own goal from Smith. It’s hard to tell, even after a few replays, because it was a real scramble. But I think it hit the post and rebounded off Smith before going into the net.
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New Zealand tried to play the ball out of defence, a mistake they won’t make again. They gave it away, and a couple of quick passes from Erokhin and Poloz - the second a beautiful piece of improvisation - allowed Glushakov to run through on goal. He lobbed it over the keeper and was involved in a race with two defenders as the ball bounced slowly towards goal. They all slid in at the same time, and I think it hit the post before bouncing off Glushakov and into the net.
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GOAL! Russia 1-0 New Zealand (Glushakov 31)
I told you Russia were crap.
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30 min Poloz has a goal rightly disallowed for offside. No need to go upstairs.
29 min I don’t like to be negative, but we’re all doomed, they’ve got surveillance on our ass Russia look a painfully ordinary team. Next summer could get nasty for them, depending on the draw.
27 min “Our announcer here, former player Stuart Holden, has told us that was no penalty because the Russian player took a heavy touch,” says JR in Illinois. “This has left me wondering if Stuart Holden knows the laws of the game. No stoppages for racism yet is good news. Let’s see how long it can continue.”
Aren’t New Zealand an all-white team? Or is that FAKE VIEWS?
26 min A long-range shot from Dzhikya is pushed behind for a corner by the unconvincing Marinovic.
23 min “Do you happen to know what has happened to Winston Reid?” says Chasuman. “Would’ve thought a Premier League defender would be an automatic starter for us (the Kiwis that is).”
He is injured. I think.
22 min Wood smashes a snapshot into orbit from 20 yards. New Zealand will be happy with the first quarter of this match, despite those early scares. They look a compact, organised side. I realise that sounds patronising but it’s not meant to be. They seem like a team who have embraced their limitations. Would that it were so simple.
20 min “Evening (or should I say good morning) from Australia Rob!” says Patrick Wills. “University exams pending so the heights of my procrastination have led me to this blockbuster (ahem) match-up. Rojas and Barbarouses are pacey dribblers that are both worth keeping an eye on from our friends across the ditch in NZ, the former in particular has been given the unfortunate ‘Kiwi Messi’ tag but he does have some very tidy feet. Made a move to Stuttgart a few years ago but it never quite worked out for him so he’s back in our domestic league strutting his stuff. As a Sydney fan it’s very hard to compliment a man from our much loathed rivals in Melbourne but he’s worthy of the praise.”
18 min Wood’s unconvincing low shot is kicked behind for a New Zealand corner by Smolov.
17 min New Zealand win a free-kick just outside the penalty area on the left. It’s a tight angle but Wood might have a crack nonetheless...
14 min That should have been a penalty to Russia. A nothing ball forward ran all the way through to Poloz, who skipped round the keeper Marinovic and fell over dramatically. At first it looked like a dive, and the referee waved play on. Replays suggested there was contact.
12 min New Zealand’s first snifter of a chance. The keeper Marinovic angles a very long free-kick to the giant Wood, who heads it into the penalty area. The stretching Smith beats a defender to the ball but can only divert the ball across goal rather than towards it.
9 min Smith clears off the line for New Zealand! That’s twice in three minutes the ball has been cleared from under the crossbar. Poloz smartly chested down a cross from the right at the far post before toeing it past the outrushing Marinovic. It would have dribbled into the net but for Smith’s intervention.
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7 min Russia are starting to dominate, with Durante conceding a corner on the right. Samedov’s outswinger is headed onto the far post by the stooping Vasin, with McGlinchey kicking the rebound off the line.
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4 min “Proud Kiwi watching from Amsterdam,” says Oli Laugeray-Cleaver. “ITV commentators mocking New Zealand before even kick off - seems a bit rough seeing how England did in the last tournament they were in...”
It’s human nature. See also: Tony Soprano calling Bobby Bacala a ‘Calzone with legs’.
3 min Golovin, the player being linked with Arsenal by all good gossip-mongers, hits a crisp rising drive from the left edge of the box that is fumbled behind for a corner by Marinovic.
1 min Peep peep! New Zealand, in white, kick off from right to left. Russia are in red. The stadium isn’t exactly full.
Anyone out there? We can talk about the Russian in the Sopranos if it makes things easier.
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Brazil have won the last three Confederations Cups. They won’t win this one, as they haven’t qualified. The only previous winners in this tournament are Mexico, who were champions back in 1999, when Ronan Keating was topping the charts with When You Say Nothing At All. Good times.
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Parochial department
Leeds striker Chris Wood and Ipswich’s Tommy Smith start for New Zealand, while Monty Patterson – who spent the end of last season on loan at Braintree - is on the bench. Russia’s team includes the apparently excellent young midfielder Aleksandr Golovin, who has been linked with Arsenal.
A strong contender for the naffest tweet ever
When it's Friday and the #ConfedCup kicks off tomorrow 🙌#FridayFeeling pic.twitter.com/SuBWj3kdoR
— #ConfedCup (@FIFAcom) June 16, 2017
As you probably know, video assistant referees will be used in this competition. Imagine being the VAR who has to decide whether to award a 90th-minute penalty against Russia next summer. That would test the clarity of your decision-making.
Let’s be honest: small boys don’t lie awake at night dreaming about winning the Confederations Cup. But it’s still an elite competition, and has produced a series of iconic moments down the years. Nick Ames has picked six of the best.
The teams
Russia (3-5-2) Akinfeev; Dzhikya, Vasin, Kudriashov; Samedov, Erokhin, Glushakov, Golovin, Zhirkov; Smolov, Poloz.
New Zealand (3-4-3) Marinovic; Boxall, Durante, Smith; Colvey, Thomas, McGlinchey, Wynne; Rojas, Wood, Barbarouses.
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the opening match of the Confederations Cup, between Russia and New Zealand in St Petersburg. Russia will host next year’s World Cup, and the focus on issues off the field – racism, hooliganism, etc - has obscured the most important football question: are this lot any good or what?
This, according to the Fifa/world rankings is the worst Russia team since records began. They are 63rd, one place below Uzbekistan, just ahead of Armenia and Curacao. The emergence of a new generation does offer some encouragement, with the average age of the squad falling below 50 for the first time in a while, and this tournament should give us an idea what they might achieve next summer.
Russia have been a regular disappointment at major tournaments - but when they get their computerised passing right, as they did at Euro 2008, there are few things in football as thrilling and mysterious. A good Russian team would significantly enrich the World Cup.
At this Confederations Cup they are in Group A with Portugal, Mexico and today’s opponents New Zealand, who qualified by virtue of winning the OFC Nations Cup. (Australia didn’t take part in that, but reached this tournament through the AFC Asian Cup.) Two qualify for the semi-finals. With tougher games to come and the eyes of the world on St Petersburg, Russia could do with a peaceful start in more ways than one.
Kick off is at 4pm BST.
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