Cristiano Ronaldo's first-half opener proved to be the winner for Portugal who moved top of Group A following a 1-0 win over hosts Russia at the Otkrytie Arena.

The 32-year-old put any rumours about his Real Madrid future to the back of his mind, as he broke the deadlock after only eight minutes with a back-post header for his 74th international goal.

Russia manager Stanislav Cherchesov started with a defensive 4-5-1 system in an effort to contain the European champions, but the plan backfired after Ronaldo’s early goal.

The hosts responded to a disconcerting performance by changing shape for the second period and although they slightly improved, they weren’t able to find a way back into the match. The best opportunity fell to defender Georgi Dzhikiyi in injury time, but he couldn’t keep his header down.

The win means Portugal are on the verge progressing to the latter stages; a victory over rank outsiders New Zealand on Saturday will seal their place in the semi-final. Meanwhile, Russia may need to beat Mexico on the same day to have any chance of qualifying.