Russia's victorious start at the 2017 Confederations Cup

The hosts beat New Zealand 2-0 in the opening match of the 2018 World Cup preparation tournament.

Goals: Boxall 31' own goal, Smolov 69'

Playing with the upper hand, Russia opened the scoring in the 31st minute. After winning the ball in the opponent's half, his teammate immediately passed it to Denis Glushakov, who got the ball over the head of goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic. The goal could have belonged to Glushakov if Michael Boxall had not come back to block it, accidentally scoring an own goal right on the goal line.

All Russian players participating in this tournament are playing domestically. Photo: Reuters.

Continuing to play proactively, Russia did not have much difficulty in scoring the second goal. The situation started with Fedor Smolov's dribble from midfield in the 69th minute. After passing to the right wing to his teammate, Smolov rushed into the penalty area to receive the cross and accurately tap the ball to seal the 2-0 victory.

With three points from the opening match, Russia leads Group A. Besides the host team and New Zealand, Group A also includes Portugal and Mexico. The Portugal - Mexico match will take place at 10pm on June 18, Hanoi time.

Russia (red shirt) played better than New Zealand. Photo: Reuters.

The Confederations Cup is a tournament that takes place one year before each World Cup. This year's tournament features host Russia, reigning World Cup champions Germany, and six continental champions: New Zealand (Oceania), Portugal (Europe), Mexico (CONCACAF), Chile (South America), Cameroon (Africa) and Australia (Asia).

The eight teams are divided into two groups, A and B. Each group will play a round robin, with the top two teams advancing to the semi-finals. From the semi-finals onwards, matches will be played in a knockout format.

According to VNE