'Look on the bright side' of 10-1 defeat, Russian club Rostov urge fans

Rostov were unable to build on their early lead as Sochi equalised five minutes later before running away with the game

Russian Premier League side Rostov have urged supporters to look "on the bright side" after a makeshift team of teenagers lost 10-1 on Friday night.

Fourth-placed Rostov had to quarantine their entire first team when six tested positive for Covid-19 before the trip to Sochi.

Rostov took the lead in the opening minute as 17-year-old Roman Romanov became the club's youngest goalscorer.

Goalkeeper Denis Popov, also 17, made 15 saves, a new RPL record.

One of the saves came from the penalty spot as Popov earned the man-of-the-match award.

"Sochi turned down our offer to postpone the match, and this is exactly why these young players aged 16-19 had to play in this match," Rostov explained on their website.

"The score was most likely upsetting, however, we do want you to look on the bright side.

"Denis absolutely stole the whole show today and another mind-blowing highlight was definitely our first goal. We know you would agree our players were fighting for every inch of the pitch - each and every of them showed incredible character and attitude."

The match was only the second of the Russian league's restart behind closed doors following a three-month break enforced by the coronavirus pandemic.