Russia vs Nicaragua

Russia cruised to a 3-1 victory over Nicaragua in a friendly at the Ozon Arena in Krasnodar, with Lechi Sadulaev setting the tone inside three minutes. The forward latched onto a neat assist from Konstantin Tyukavin and fired home with his left foot to give the hosts an early lead in front of around 33,000 fans. Nicaragua responded well through Oscar Acevedo, who levelled in the 16th minute to briefly silence the home crowd. But Tyukavin restored Russia's advantage from the penalty spot deep into first-half stoppage time, sending goalkeeper Pineda the wrong way to make it 2-1 at the break. The visitors' hopes faded further when Christian Reyes was shown a straight red card for a foul on Glebov. Aleksandr Golovin sealed the result in the 83rd minute, wrapping up a comfortable evening for the hosts. It was a useful exercise for Russia, who dominated possession at 64% and managed 15 shots in this first-ever meeting between the two nations. For Nicaragua, despite a spirited first-half showing, the red card proved decisive.