World Cup 2018 diary: A party, a games room and a funeral
A Russia fan kisses another supporter before the start of their 2018 World Cup Group A match against Saudi Arabia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on June 14, 2018. PHOTO | PATRIK STOLLARZ | AFP
What you need to know:
- Stanislav Cherchesov's unfancied side flying out of the blocks might have been unexpected but elsewhere there were plenty of the weird and wonderful sights and sounds that you sign up for at major tournament time.
- Oh, and Sergio Ramos has been playing to the gallery. Ladies and gentlemen, we are underway.
Russia got their own World Cup off to a rip-roaring start with a 5-0 routing of Saudi Arabia in Moscow.
Stanislav Cherchesov's unfancied side flying out of the blocks might have been unexpected but elsewhere there were plenty of the weird and wonderful sights and sounds that you sign up for at major tournament time.
Oh, and Sergio Ramos has been playing to the gallery. Ladies and gentlemen, we are underway.
TEHRAN HITS ST PETERSBURG
St Petersburg's glorious azure skyline and wide-open boulevards were crying out for raucous Russians celebrating their five-star display.
But the most visible sight just down the road from the official Fifa fan zone was an impromptu fan party driven by the Iranian contingent, here for their Group B showdown against Morocco on Friday.
There were locals, Mexicans, Australians, Moroccans and more, but Team Melli followers were leading the charge, even throwing in their own interpretation of the Icelandic thunderclap.
Right in the mix were plenty of Iranian women who are not allowed to attend games in their homeland. They will get to watch their team live at a World Cup tomorrow. We aren't here to go deep or trite on this diary, but that seemed pretty cool.
NEXT ROUND'S ON YOU, VLADIMIR
Take a stroll along the banks of the River Moskva and you will inevitably stumble across the beautifully manicured gardens surrounding the Luzhniki Stadium.
It was built in 1955-56 as part of a wider sports complex designed to help Soviet athletes further their burgeoning impact on the global stage.
At its heart was a statue of Vladimir Lenin – the former head of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union.
A communist revolutionary, Lenin remains one of the most influential figures of the 20th century with his supporters championing his legacy as someone who fought for socialism and the working classes.
So, heaven knows what he would have made of the circus that has moved on to his patch over the past week.
Budweiser, Gazprom, Coca-Cola, Hyundai and Visa all have stalls on the avenues approaching the stadium. There's even one extolling the virtues of a Chinese dairy firm.
Leninism meets rampant global capitalism. The look on his face speaks a thousand words…
