Ahead of yesterday's World Cup opener between the hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia, it was regularly mooted that the visitors to Moscow could give Russia cause for concern.
Proceeding to lose 5-0, endearing few viewers with their apparent footballing ineptitude along the way, the Saudi Arabian football federation chief Adel Ezzat has expressed his dismay with a performance that did "not reflect the true level of our preparedness."
Envisaging the opportunity of leaving their mark on the widely-viewed opening game of the tournament, Saudi Arabia appeared out of their depth. Committing a series of unimaginable mistakes at this level, a highly-unfancied Russia side may well look back at the tie and wonder if they couldn't have scored more than the five they managed.
Unsatisfied with what he witnessed, Ezzat does not appear likely to put the result down to experience and move on.
According to reports in the Daily Mail, Ezzat already has punishments in mind for three of the country's poorest performers; "Several players will face a penalty - goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf, striker Mohammad Al-Sahlawi and defender Omar Hawsawi."
What exactly this "penalty" entails remains uncertain, it is clear that Ezzat is not the only notable figure upset with the opening day performance; Chairman of the General Sport Authority, Turki bin Abdulmohsen Al-Sheikh has similarly condemned the team; taking to his Twitter account:
These players have made my face go black with embarrassment and fury. This is down to their weak potential and ability. We did everything for this team and this generation of players, everything. We brought them the best technical support, a team of the highest level and we paid them for three years. But now we see they have limited capabilities. They have achieved just five per cent of what is expected and required of them.
With two group games remaining and Uruguay and Egypt, it is safe to say that things may yet get worse for the Saudi Arabian players.
