Karpin plays down significance of Russia's win over Iran

Russia beat Iran 2:0 in Kazan on Tuesday, with Aleksandr Golovin scoring both goals, and Valeri Karpin used the result to warn against reading too much into a friendly.

Asked whether the win over a World Cup finalist said anything about where Russia stand, the head coach was blunt.

"I don't know. I think everyone would be interested to see how we would look at such a tournament. But until we get there, it is impossible to understand," Karpin said, as quoted by the RFU press service.

He went on to draw a distinction between friendlies and matches that carry something at stake. "It's one thing to play when there is no tournament pressure, another when you absolutely have to pick up points. In that situation, someone's legs could start shaking," Karpin said.

Russia have gone almost five years without playing an official fixture, with UEFA and FIFA sanctions against the RFU still in place. Golovin, 30, scored his third and fourth goals for the national side since returning to the squad in March, but he limped off in the 84th minute with an ankle injury that puts his fitness for the next camp in doubt. The Monaco midfielder is also currently the subject of transfer interest from Spartak, Zenit and Saudi clubs, with Monaco said to want €25-30m for him.

Karpin was more satisfied with the performance itself than with any wider conclusion. "Broadly speaking, yes. In terms of the result, everything worked out: we scored, kept a clean sheet, created a lot of good chances," he said of the display, adding that he preferred the first half for its cohesion and felt the second contained details that need correcting.

He also thanked the crowd in Kazan. "A huge thank you to everyone who came. The fans didn't just sit there like it was the theatre, the support was easy to hear. We can only thank everyone who was at the stadium today," Karpin said.

Russia's next friendly is against Namibia in Yekaterinburg on 3 October, followed by a game with Nigeria in Nizhny Novgorod. Namibia sit second in their World Cup qualifying group for Africa with 15 points from 10 matches.