Fight to the end! Putin’s rallying call gets hosts off to flying start

Russian fans cheer their team during their Russia 2018 World Cup Group A match against Egypt, at the Fan Zone in Kaliningrad on June 19, 2018. PHOTO | OZAN KOSE |

What you need to know:

  • Russia second home team with best start in history of world finals thus far .
  • Like effective football team captain, Russian head of state leads home nation from the front and, and boy, they are delivering.

One of President Vladimir Putin’s strengths is his ability to rally Russians around a course.

On June 6 when US President Donald Trump unleashed additional sanctions against seven Russian oligarchs with ties to Putin along with 12 companies they own or control, the Kremlin said America had a desire to split Russian society, which would not work, adding that under the external pressure, the country had always united around its leader.

True to the statement, Russians have rallied around their leader and they are weathering the effects of the sanctions.

With a struggling local league and a team that was ranked lowest among the World Cup squads, Putin, a former head of Russian spy agency FSB, may have pulled a masterstroke in the days leading to the tournament.

Two days before the opening ceremony of the Fifa World Cup here, Putin said hosts Russia would “fight to the end.”

“We expect the team to play with dignity, to show modern, interesting football, and to fight until the end,” he said. Placed 70th globally, Russia was heading into the 32-team competition as the lowest ranked team in the tournament

After Russia’s 5-0 win over Tunisia in the first Group A match at Luzhniki Stadium, a call came through to coach Stanislav Cherchesov as he and his captain were addressing post-match press conference.

Putin was on the line, congratulating the team on a splendid performance and asking the team to continue the good performance. Midfielder Denis Cheryshev scored two goals in the match.

On Tuesday, Russia beat Egypt 3-0 in their second Group ‘A’ match at St Petersburg to jump to the top of the pool with six points, having scored eight goals and conceded one in a pool that also has second-placed Uruguay who are placed 14th in Fifa rankings. In Cheryshev, Russia have a player who is joint second with Spain’s Diego Costa in the scoring charts with three goals.

For a team that came into the tournament after losing seven straight friendly matches, home fans now believe the team can reach the semi-finals and even achieve more.

By scoring eight goals and conceding only one, Russia have become the home team with the best start in the World Cup since the first edition of the tournament held in 1930 in Uruguay.

Perhaps Russia’s biggest test in the group could come when the team plays Uruguay on Monday in Samara. In 2012, Michael Sata, then Zambia’s president, called his team’s captain to congratulate the players on reaching Africa Cup of Nations final in Gabon.

Like Russia at the ongoing World Cup, a presidential call lifted Zambia, who were not considered one of the favourites in the tournament, to post impressive results.

The team went on to beat a Cote d’Ivoire squad teeming with English Premier League stars 8-7 on penalties in the final to win the tournament.