Russia

(1) Igor Akinfeev: 6.5 The Russian goalkeeper didn’t have much to do, but he was alert when called upon, and distributed the ball well from the back.

(19) Alexander Samedov: 8.0 The right wing-back found his feet in the second half. He was constantly a threat, and he got his reward by assisting Smolov’s goal in the 69th minute.

(6) Georgi Djikia: 7.0 Like most of Russia’s defense, didn’t have much to do. He was calm with the ball at his feet and playing from the back.

(5) Viktor Vasin: 7.5 Playing at the center of a three-man back, he did well to limit Chris Wood’s opportunities. Led his backline by example and hit the post early on.

(13) Fedor Kudryashov: 7.0 Started the game slowly, but eventually settled in the back three. Did well to limit the trickery of Marco Rojas.

(18) Yuri Zhirkov: 7.5 Even at 33, the experienced left-back never stopped running. Was a big threat down the wing in the second half and had a goal-line clearance near the end of the game.

(21) Aleksandr Erokhin: 7.5 The least noticeable of the midfield trio, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Distributed the ball well and won it back for his team, leading to the first goal of the game.

(8) Denis Glushakov: 8.0 (Man of the Match) The 30-year old was at the heart of Russia’s midfield, dictating the tempo of the game with his passing and dribbling forward. Opened the scoring in the 31st minute with a lovely chip after a run from deep, despite FIFA awarding an own goal to a New Zealand defender instead.

(17) Aleksandr Golovin: 7.5 The Arsenal target was the best player in the opening minutes. As the game worn on, he settled in a deeper position and helped out defensively as well.

(9) Fedor Smolov: 8.0 Had a hard time adjusting to New Zealand’s high line in the first half, but figured them out in the second. Played a big part in the construction of his goal before tapping it in, and almost created another one later on.

(7) Dmitri Poloz: 7.0 His big moment came at the half time mark, as he played a beautiful ball through to Glushakov, who put it in the back of the net. Had a header saved in the second half before he was replaced in the 64th minute.

Subs:

(11) Alexander Bukharov: 6.0 Replaced his club teammate Poloz after the hour mark, but wasn’t too involved.

(22) Dmitri Tarasov and (15) Aleksey Miranchuk: Not enough playing time/impact for a rating.

New Zealand

(1) Stefan Marinovic: 7.0 Started off poorly, but made a number of decisive saves in the second half, including a double save with the score at 1-0.

(18) Kip Colvey: 5.5 The 23-year old struggled to deal with Zhirkov’s runs on the left wing, and didn’t really get a chance to do much going forward. Lost the ball which led to Russia’s opener.

(20) Tommy Smith: 6.5 His side’s best defender. Cleared the ball after Marinovic was defeated early on, and was relatively solid throughout the game.

(22) Andrew Durante: 5.0 Found in no man’s land time after time. It seemed that while Smith and Boxall had clear duties, Durante was just strolling in the back three. Struggled to keep up with or at least challenge the goal-scorers in both occasions.

(5) Michael Boxall: 5.0 Unfortunate to be awarded an own goal, though a critic might say he could have done better with his attempted clearance. His attempt at a clearance was even worse in the second half, as he missed the ball entirely, and Smolov made it 2-0.

(3) Deklan Wynne: 5.5 Like Colvey, couldn’t really keep up with his man, and did next to nothing going forward. Samedov ran him ragged in the second half.

(7) Kosta Barbarouses: 5.0 Despite being one of the more experienced players in the New Zealand squad, the 27-year old lost the midfield battle and had almost no impact in the game. Subbed off at the hour mark.

(8) Michael McGlinchey: 6.0 New Zealand’s hopes of winning the midfield battle rested on his shoulders, and they didn’t win the midfield battle. His best contribution in the game was an early goal-line clearance after Vasin’s header.

(14) Ryan Thomas: 6.5 The 22-year old was the brightest spark in the Kiwi’s midfield, but his attempts at going forward didn’t lead to much. He was solid with the ball at his feet and helped out defensively.

(11) Marco Rojas: 5.5 The first time he truly caught my eye was in the 70th minute with a nice turn on the right wing. And then he was subbed off immediately after. Not the impact you want from a player like him.

(9) Chris Wood: 4.5 Looked hungry for parts of the first half, but ultimately didn’t get any real chances. His movement was not optimal, and he never threatened the Russian defense.

Subs:

(6) Bill Tuiloma: 6.0 Didn’t really offer a whole lot for his team, but considering that not many of his teammates did much better, he did enough to hope for a start in the next game.

(10) Shane Smeltz and (13 Monty Mark Patterson): Not enough playing time/impact for a rating.

*All photos courtesy of FIFA.com*