Russia head coach Stanislav Cherchesov was interrupted during the post-match press conference yesterday by a call from Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.
During Russia’s post-match press conference, while man-of-the-match Cheryshev was taking questions from journalists, Cherchesov briefly left the top table holding a phone to his ear. Mr Putin had called to congratulate the team over their 5 – 0 mauling of Saudi Arabia in the opening game of the 2018 World cup.
Speaking after the call, the Coach said: ‘It was the head of state who called me with congratulations, he asked me to share his thanks with the team and to keep them playing like this.’
The Russians looked dominating throughout the game, outplaying their Saudi counterparts who managed to have just two shots on target in the game.
The game was watched by Mr Putin, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammad bin Salman.