Russia's bid as World Cup nation raised a few doubts about their chances of success, but Stanislav Cherchesov's men have delivered their best games in months and are about to make World Cup history.
Led by Denis Cheryshev's 3 goals in the competition, Russia has been off to a massive start in their two games, scoring eight and conceding only once. With those numbers in mind, their presence in the next round could be a matter of hours, and it would be confirmed if Saudi Arabia can't beat Uruguay on Wednesday. Russia has never made it past the Group Stage of any World Cup since becoming an independent country, and now, they stand one point away from such a feat.
As of now, the hosts have already entered World Cup history with their eight-goal display in the competition, which should be quite surprising, since they showed no offensive power during the friendly games leading to this World Cup.
8 - Russia's eight goals in the first two #WorldCup games is a joint-record for a host nation (Italy 1934 also 8). Party. pic.twitter.com/YFzzMcFid6
— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) June 19, 2018
Their goal average is better than the one the Italians had back in those days.
Russia's start is the best of any host nation in the history of the World Cup after the 2 opening games. Italy also scored 8 in 1934 but conceded 2.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) June 19, 2018
Only time will tell how far the Russians will get in this competition, but at least they have managed to give their fans something to be proud of after just two games.