World Cup 2018 diary: Sexy Cisse, Southgate's tea snub and a baffling vodka museum

Belgium were ruthless 5-2 winners over Tunisia on day 10 of the World Cup, while Germany kept their hopes of advancing alive with a dramatic 2-1 victory against Sweden.

Still, we all know there are far more important matters to discuss.

For one thing, England manager Gareth Southgate and an apparent disdain for tea. For another, how Aliou Cisse has become a sex symbol in Russia.

Plus, we found out why Croatia's training base rivals England's when it comes to entertainment, and why the vodka museum in Kazan might be best avoided by anyone fond of museums. Or vodka.

Here is the best from the World Cup's second Saturday!

VODKA-IND OF MUSEUM EVEN IS THIS?

While it would be nice to have World Cup football all day every day in every city, the gaps in between give the media the opportunity to soak up a little culture.

Saturday's activity in Kazan was a short trip to a vodka museum, in the hope of guzzling down knowledge of Russia's most famous export.

It had been a long time coming but, sadly, the museum experience was not quite what was expected. In fact, the establishment appeared to be playing pretty fast and loose with the "vodka museum" label.

Aside from a few bottles and some seemingly ancient distilling apparatus (or maybe it was brand new – there were no tour guides available), information was largely lacking.

Nevertheless, some amusing – though entirely baffling – figurines ensured a few chuckles were had.

SOUTHGATE WINS NO MATES WITH BRUTAL TEA SNUB

Plenty of laughs were had when Fabian Delph was presented with a personalised box of English tea before departing for the World Cup.

Of course, the drink is so widely available in Russia, in so many different forms, it perhaps seemed a bit unnecessary for the Manchester City man to bring his own supply.

Among the rest of the England squad, there is a growing appreciation for mate, the South American drink favoured by the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

The beverage's much-espoused health benefits have seen a number of players switch to it from their traditional brew, with Eric Dier admitting it has almost become an addiction at Tottenham under Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino.

Southgate still thinks tea reigns supreme within the England camp but, in a clear and calculated betrayal of the national fanbase, admitted: "We're English so we're big tea drinkers, although I'm not personally."

The horror!

COSSACK KIDS GET MEXICO MOVING

Downtown in Rostov-on-Don was resplendent in the green, red and white of Mexico on Saturday, as supporters of El Tri flooded the city.

Interspersed with a small amount of South Korea fans, there was an array of sombreros, wrestling masks and outrageous feathered headgear, topping even the efforts of Brazil's followers.

But the locals were not to be outdone when it comes to colourful folk culture, as an enterprising group of young Cossacks, led by an accordion player who had confusingly donned a poncho, entertained the visitors with an all-singing, all-dancing and indeed high-kicking display opposite Gorky Park.

CROATIA'S PING-PONG BATTLES PUT ENGLAND DARTS TO SHAME

England's fun-and-games-filled media centre has been the talk of the town in terms of journalists deployed to the St Petersburg region for the tournament.

Head a little further afield into Leningrad and Croatia's Roschino base has a vibe all of its own – one set by the electro music pulsing through the press conference room on arrival.

The soundtrack only stops when the players arrive, with Vedran Corluka and Ivan Perisic the men up to talk about their team's superb campaign so far on Saturday.

There is also table tennis, where the members of Croatia's media team took each other apart over what felt like brutally long games. A whole different level of intensity to the England dart board.

'SEXY' CISSE TURNS ALL SHY

Senegal boss Cisse faced the media on Saturday ahead of the Group H meeting with Japan in Ekaterinburg.

A win would put the Lions of Teranga on the brink of the last 16, and Cisse – captain of the side that reached the 2002 quarter-finals – was bombarded with the usual questions regarding the opposition, their threats and his possible selection.

However, there was one unusual curveball midway through the news conference, as one reporter asked Cisse about being regarded as a sex symbol among the Russian female population.

"I don't know, you'll have to ask the ladies!" came the bashful response. "I don't think I'm a sex symbol at all, but it's good to be loved!"