St. Petersburg, June 18: Hosts Russia defeated New Zealand 2-0 in the Group A opening match of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup football tournament here on Saturday (June 17).

The score was opened in the 31st minute when midfielder Denis Glushakov shoved the ball into the lower left corner of the visitors' net, reports Tass news agency.

With an average ball position of over 60 per cent in the first half and numerous attempts on the net of New Zealand, both teams retreated for the break with 1-0 flashing on the scoreboard.

Almost 25 minutes into the second half, Russian forward Fedor Smolov cannoned another goal for his team after having received a flawless assist from Alexander Samedov.

The game was played at the newly-built 57,000-seat capacity St. Petersburg Stadium and tonight's attendance of the match totalled over 50,200.

IANS