The contest was never likely to be about who was going to win but rather how many the Russians could put past the team they humiliated four years ago with a world-record 31-2 scoreline. Once again, Russia reigned supreme but signs that the Kurukuru are on the rise were aplenty throughout the match.
“I am proud of the boys for not giving up today – the Russians were a class apart from us but the fighting spirit within the team did not let up until the final whistle. The result is not in our favour but we expected it to be tough so we managed our objectives for this game,” Kurukuru coach Dickson Kadau said.
“Obviously, there is a lot more work that we need to do to be on par with the best of the world but in our own way the boys achieved something today. We need to work on defending all around the court and properly mark opponents because the game is now more dynamic than ever – these are important lessons for us today and we will improve.”
With the help of their naturalised Brazilians, Russia were up 8-0 in the first half and a further eight strikes in the second spell helped them to the biggest scoreline in the competition so far and also to the top of the Group F table. Elder Lima top scored with seven goals while Sergey Servgeev and Alexander Fukin both got on the scoresheet twice.
Kurukuru showed some control in the opening five minutes but the Russians soon began to take over the game. While some of the flare of the island boys was on display, getting past the Russian defensive wall proved an insurmountable challenge. The Russians continued to drive them down with press forward and made it 3-0 after four minutes with goals in quick succession.
From there, the concentration levels of the Kurukuru appeared to wane and mistakes began to creep in. The Russians capitalised on the lapses to add five more goals for a very comfortable first-half lead.
The second half opened in similar fashion to the first with Russia quickly gaining the upper hand nd using their well-versed movements to break down the Kurukuru defence. Sergeev needed just one minute to score and the situation went further downhill as efforts from his teammates took the game well beyond reach of the Kurukuru.
The Oceania champions displayed greater determination in the dying minutes with captain Elliot Ragomo and Micah Lea’alafa both exciting the crowd with breakaway runs but the Russians ensured a clean sheet finish with class defending at the back.
The Kurukuru now need to win both their remaining games in the competition to guarantee them a place in the second round. South Americans Colombia are the next team on their schedule and that clash will be followed by an encounter with Guatemala.
Kadau believes the Russian game will be an invaluable experience for the Kurukuru as they look ahead to their next two challenges.
“The lessons from today will be vital if we want to win our remaining group matches. Both at a player and management level we need to correct our errors and move on with renewed objectives and determination,” he said.
For more on Solomon Islands football go to www.siff.com.sb

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