FIFA Confederations Cup hosts Russia are taking on European champions Portugal, captained by Cristiano Ronaldo, in their Group A match at Spartak Stadium in Moscow. RT Sport has live updates of all the action.
21 June 2017
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(90+3) Smolov tries his luck from range, but fires well wide. Cherchesov is furious on the bench.
Full-time: Russia 0-1 Portugal
(90+2) Russia pressing for an equalizer, this time Smolov swings in a low cross, but Patricio gathers up the ball. Russia probably want Smolov in the box rather than out on the flank.
The corner comes in and Dzhikya rises above Pepe, but heads over.
(90+1) Scary moment for Portugal keeper Rui Patricio, who seems to lose flight of the ball as cross comes in. He manages to palm the ball out for a corner.
4 mins added
(89 mins) Russia with a foray into the Portugal box, Bukharov goes down looking for a penalty but the referee isn't interested.
(87 mins) Bernardo Silva draws Zhirkov into a foul on the right flank. The ball comes in but doesn't beat the first man and Russia clear their lines. Portugal looking like they'll see this out comfortably.
(85 mins) Five minutes to go plus injury time in Moscow - that Cristiano Ronaldo goal on 8 minutes still separates the teams.
Bukharov coming on for Kudryashov, the defender has had a game to forget for Russia today, he was at fault for the game's only goal.
(82 mins) Just not happening for Russia at the moment as Portugal look comfortable. A change for Portugal as Adrien Silva comes off, Danilo comes on.
Attendance at Spartak Stadium today - 42,759, just under three thousand short of full capacity.
(78 mins) Change for Portugal: Andre Silva is off, Gelson Martins is on.
(75 mins) Portugal with a spell of keep-ball after that period of Russian pressure. Into the last 15 minutes in Moscow.
(73 mins) Dzhikya now fouls Andre Silva. The Spartak man needs to calm down or he is in danger of being sent off.
(71 mins) Russian free-kick on the left flank but the ball goes over the heads of the players in the box. Dzhikya picks up a yellow card after clashing with Pepe. The Russian defender appeared to kick out at the Portugal man there.
There was also an earlier change for Portugal, with Eliseu coming on for Raphael Guerreiro. One defender for another.
(68 mins) Cherchesov finally forced into making that attacking move Dmitry Kombarov coming off for Dmitry Poloz who will partner Smolov in attack.
(67 mins) Andre Silva shoots on yet another Portugal break but his tame effort is straight at Akinfeev.
Russian keeper Igor Akinfeev has kept his team in the game.
(66 mins) Ronaldo finds himself free and powers towards goal, then plays a one-two with Andre Gomes before firing the ball goal wards from the edge of the 18 yard box, the shot fizzes over the bar and causes no trouble for centurion Akinfeev.
(62 mins) Portugal break down the other end, Ronaldo plays in Andre Gomes, who turns and draws Akinfeev and then plays the ball back for Ronaldo to head but his glancing header goes agonizingly wide. Golden chance to go 2-0 up missed, game really opening up now.
(61 mins) So close! Glushakov plays the ball out to the right flank to Samedov, who whimsically floats the ball in to a rising Smolov, but the number 9 comes within a hair if the ball. Still 1-0.
(58 mins) Andre Silva finds himself free at the back post after Portugal break forward, but his header is cleared. the chance came straight from a Russia attack.
(56 mins) Russia push forward again, this time the ball is played into Smolov at the back post, but the linesman flags for offside. Russia growing in confidence now, it's what's needed if they are to salvage something from the game.
(54 mins) And just like that Russia push forward at the other end, Andre Gomes put the ball behind for a corner, Dmitry Kombarov delivered but Pepe headed clear
(54 mins) Russia having to soak up a lot of pressure here as Portugal continue to press forward, pressure relieved only when Yuri Zhirkov is fouled.
(49 mins) Golovin again goes clattering in to a Portuguese player, this time Bernardo Silva gets the brunt of it. Golovin must be careful not to get booked
(50 mins) Chance! Andre Silva rises to meet cross in from the right but his effort is straight at Akinfeev, who palms it away to safety.
(48 mins) Referee giving Aleksandr Golovin and Adrien Silva a talking to as they come together in the middle of the pitch, the latter was upset by the former's late tackle.
The second half is underway in Moscow - can Russia pull themselves back into the game.
First Half summary from RT Sport's Danny Armstrong
Half-time: Russia 0-1 Portugal - Plenty to think about for Russian boss Stanislav Cherchesov at the break.
(41 mins) Chance for Russia. Golovin crosses for Fedor Smolov in the Portugal box, but the Russian forward can't adjust his feet fast enough and sidefoots the ball wide of Patricio in the Portugal goal. Russia's best chance so far.
Russia manager Stanislav Cherchesov has to change something.
Just seen the replay of that Ronaldo chance. He twisted Viktor Vasin inside and out before firing at Akinfeev. The CSKA man had no idea whether he was coming or going there.
Portugal getting a lot of joy down the right flank. Poor Fedor Kudryashov is having a torrid time of it at the moment against Bernardo Silva and Ronaldo...
(32 mins) Close for Portugal! Ronaldo works those fast feet in the box, turning the defender this way and that, before firing from 6 yards out, Akinfeev does well to get down low and save. That was a big chance for Portugal there.
Glushakov picked up a booking a could of minutes before that - the first yellow of the game from Italian official Gianluca Rocchi.
(28 mins) Yury Zhirkov goes down in the Portugal box but the referee is having none of it. Glushakov then takes a whack from William - that looked nasty.
(25 mins) Ronaldo assumes that famous free-kick stance of his, runs up and strikes the ball - it beats the wall but it's a comfortable save for Akinfeev.
(23 mins) Russia starting to probe a bit more, switching the play from left to right. Golovin sets himself to shoot and lays the ball off, but it's blocked by a Portugal defender. At the other end, Kudryashov - the man in the mask - brings down Ronaldo on the edge of the Russian box.
(17 mins) Russia are starting to see a bit more of the ball in the Portugal half, but they haven't fashioned any chances of note yet.
(16 mins) Russia win a corner which Kombarov sends deep, but it's cleared by Portugal.
The crowd is understandably a bit flat after that early Portugal goal. They'll need to raise the volume to give their team a boost.
Another nice little factoid about that Ronaldo goal - it was the first Portugal have ever scored against Russia/Soviet Union in Russia.
Incidentally, that Ronaldo goal is his 74th for Portugal.
(11 mins) Ronaldo breaks down the right after a Russia attack breaks down. His cross goes out, but Russia have to be careful not to leave themselves vulnerable as they chase the game.
(8 mins) Who else? Ronaldo meets a cross at the back post and heads back across Russia keeper Akinfeev.
He drifted off his man perfectly there and left Akinfeev with no chance. Russia might have to change their game plan now.
GOAL! Russia 0-1 Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo
(5 mins) Portugal still playing the ball around nicely. This could be the pattern of the game.
Veteran Portugal defender Bruno Alves is in the team today. The 35-year-old knows Russia well from the three years he spent at Zenit St. Petersburg.
(3 mins) Portugal enjoying most of the possession so far, although a few passes going astray in the final third. A fairly uneventful opening to the game.
Kick-off: We are underway in the Confederations Cup Group A clash between Russia and Portugal in Moscow. Can the hosts book their place in the semifinals?
The anthems have been sung, the teams are ready to go – we are moments from kick-off.
The results of our pre-match Twitter poll are in – it looks like most of you fancy Portugal for the win.
Young stars
Two players featuring tonight appeared in our top 5 young stars to look out for at the Confed Cup. Portugal attacking midfielder Bernardo Silva, 22, recently made a $55 million move from French side Monaco to English Premier League team Manchester City. He’s an exciting young prospect and will be one to watch.
Russia have 21-year-old midfielder Aleksandr Golovin in their side. CSKA star Golovin has already established himself in the starting 11 of the national team, and has reportedly attracted the attention of some big clubs who are keen to make a move for the youngster.
Will we see Smolov dabbing again today?
Ronaldo ‘focused on Confed Cup success’
Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo put in a man-of-the-match performance in the 2-2 draw against Mexico on Sunday, and reports are that the Portuguese captain is fully focused on leading his team to glory, despite tax fraud allegations in Spain and mounting speculation that he will leave the Spanish capital.
Teammate Pepe dismissed any talk of the Portugal captain being distracted, saying in a press conference yesterday the No. 7 was fully focused on helping his team.
Portugal players warm up on the pitch ahead of the game.
Weather update - it looks like a heavy shower has just hit the stadium. The weather has been somewhat changeable in Moscow over the last few days. Let's hope it clears up before the match starts.
100 up for Akinfeev
Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev is making his 100th appearance for ‘Sbornaya’ tonight. He made his debut as a fresh-faced 18-year-old, and set about establishing himself as the country’s undisputed No.1.
The CSKA stopper has been a faithful servant over the years, and is still going strong at the age of 31. He still has some way to go before overtaking record Russian appearance holder Sergey Ignashevich, who amassed 120 caps during his career, but Akinfeev will fancy his chances of overtaking that milestone.
Spartak Stadium
Today’s game is being played at Spartak Stadium – the home to newly-crowned Russian Premier League champions Spartak Moscow. The ‘Red-Whites’ ended a 16-year wait for a league title last season, and were captained to glory by midfielder Denis Glushakov, who will be a key player for Russia tonight.
The stadium seats 45,000 fans, and hosted the Chile-Cameroon Group B game in the opening round of fixtures, which the South Americans won 2-0.
It’s a sell-out for tonight’s game – the first full house of the tournament. The atmosphere promises to be lively to say the least…
Here's a sneak peek inside the changing rooms ahead of the game.
Team news
The line-ups are in for tonight’s game:
Russian boss Stanislav Cherchesov has opted for a more defensive-looking starting 11 than the one that lined up against New Zealand on Saturday. Roman Shishkin and Dmitry Kombarov come into the team, in place of Dmitry Poloz and Aleksandr Erokhin. It looks like Fedor Smolov will be leading the line on his own up front in a 5-4-1 formation.
Portugal boss Fernando Santos makes numerous changes to the team that drew 2-2 with Mexico, but has stuck with his preferred 4-4-2 formation. In come youngsters Bernardo Silva and Andre Silva, while Adrien Silva and Bruno Alves also start. Nani, Jose Fonte, Joao Moutinho and Ricardo Quaresma are the ones to make way.
Aleksey Sorokin, the general director of the Local Organizing Committee for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, bumped into some Portugal fans on the Moscow Metro on the way to the game.
Welcome to RT Sport’s live updates of the Russia-Portugal match at Spartak Stadium in Moscow.
The two teams are meeting in Group A of the FIFA 2017 Confederations Cup, currently underway across four Russian cities.
Russia claimed an opening game win in the tournament on Saturday, beating New Zealand 2-0 in St. Petersburg.
European champions Portugal seemed destined for a win when they took a 2-1 in the last five minutes of their match against Mexico in Kazan on Sunday, but had to settle for a 2-2 draw when Hector Moreno equalized for the Mexicans in injury time.
Here’s how things stand in Group A ahead of tonight’s games:
That means the onus is very much on Ronaldo and co. to press for a win today. It promises to be a lively game in front of a sell-out crowd at Spartak Stadium.