Goals either side of half-time by Roman Neustadter and Denis Cheryshev handed Russia a 2-0 win against Turkey in its UEFA Nations League B, Group 2 match on Sunday.
A powerful drive by Russian defender Georgy Dzhikiya hit the post before finding Neustadter, who tapped the ball behind Turkish goalkeeper Sinan Bolat to open scoring in the 20th minute. Russia doubled its lead in the 78th minute when substitute Cheryshev latched on to Aleksandr Golovin’s cross and fired home with a left-footed shot just inside the near post.
Russia, quarter-finalist at this year’s World Cup, lead Group 2 with seven points. It will travel to Sweden, which is at the bottom of the standings with one point but with a game in hand, on Nov 20.