"The first match of the tournament will be a great basis for the possible future success of our players. It was evident that the [Russian] team felt the drive, but, unfortunately, the game came to its end, in other case the score could be even more lopsided," Svishchev told journalists.

Russia beat Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the first match of the tournament at Moscow's 81,000-seater Luzhniki Stadium. They will face Egypt in St. Petersburg on June 19 and Uruguay on June 25 in their remaining group stage games.

The World Cup will continue through July 15, with a total of 64 matches set to be played at 12 stadiums across 11 Russian cities.