Russia thrashed Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the opening match of the 2018 World Cup at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium earlier on Thursday.

“[I am] lost for words  [to describe] what I feel right now. [I am] just happy that the team won, that I could help the team... But [we] cannot stop now, because the moment you lose your guard, you get knocked out,” Cheryshev said.

The 27-year-old replaced fellow midfielder Alan Dzagoev and immediately scored for his side, before adding the second one in stoppage time. Cheryshev was named man of the match for his efforts and became the first footballer in history to score a goal in the World Cup opening match after coming off the bench.