Aleksandr Golovin injures ankle in Russia's win over Iran

Aleksandr Golovin injured his ankle in Russia's 2:0 friendly win over Iran in Kazan, twisting it five minutes before he was substituted.

"My ankle got caught up just before the substitution. Five minutes earlier there was a foul when I was breaking away on the counter. It still hurts. I can't say anything yet," Golovin said.

The Monaco midfielder wore the captain's armband and scored twice in the first half, netting on 21 and 36 minutes, before going off in the 84th minute for Lechi Sadulaev. The match at the Ak Bars Arena was Golovin's first involvement with Valeriy Karpin's squad since March.

He was also unimpressed by the pitch. "We didn't play especially well, we just managed to score. The surface didn't help us either, it wasn't in the best state. The first half was decent, but it was hard to play at pace," he said, adding that he always misses Russia and enjoys turning out for the national side when he gets the chance.

Golovin has scored four goals in Ligue 1 this season for a Monaco side that sits top of the table with 13 points from five games, alongside 9 goals from P. Brunner and 4 from Lamine Camara. His fitness for Russia's next two friendlies, against Namibia on 3 October in Yekaterinburg and Nigeria on 3 October in Nizhny Novgorod, is now in doubt.

Sadulaev, the 26-year-old Akhmat Grozny defender who replaced him, has scored four goals since joining the club in February. Russia have played only friendlies since 2022, when they were suspended from FIFA and UEFA competitions.