Three of Russia’s goals were scored by substitutes

[Ayo Akinfe]

This shows the importance of having a strong bench. In fact, Russia actually played better after they lost their best player.

They switched from 3-5-2 to 4-4-2 and were more threatening. Although in all fairness, Saudi Arabia were woeful. Football is a physical contact sport. You have to win the ball.

[Coach]

The average weight of the Saudi team was 72.4kgs...add to that the pounds lost through fasting, was it any surprise when the time to get stuck in came, they lacked the meat and the muscle to do so? Which leads perfectly onto a point raised previously, Etebo to the Potteries, breakfast, tea, Tetley's, milk, full fat, blue top, eggy bread, black pudding, bacon, sausage, beans. No less than 88 kilos in the weigh-in, possibly more. Fact.

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

We’re about to be threaded to exhaustion for the next few weeks

[Ayo Akinfe]

What made our 94 squad stand out was its physicality. This time around, the only roughty toughty players in the team are:

Leon Balogun
Wilfred Ndidi
John Ogu
Mikel Obi
Odion Ighalo
Victor Moses

I particularly fear for Alex Iwobi. How would he have coped against that Russian side with its physicality?

[pajimoh]

This shows the importance of having a strong bench. In fact, Russia actually played better after they lost their best player.

They switched from 3-5-2 to 4-4-2 and were more threatening. Although in all fairness, Saudi Arabia were woeful. Football is a physical contact sport. You have to win the ball.

Wow, well done. To call you Captain Obvious would be too, well, OBVIOUS