Tuesday night, I went for a walk at Cherkizovsky Park hoping to see fireworks marking the Russia Day. But due to some unknown reasons, there were no celebrations this year which normally starts at 10pm. Many people came to see the celebrations only to return home empty-handed.
Fortunately, just beside the park, I saw the four high pillars of the historical Lokomotiv Stadium that is home to current Russian Premier League champion FC Lokomotiv Moscow.
The stadium is huge where you will be welcomed first by a beautiful rail-engine, situated in front of the ground that can host 27,000 fans at a time. This was basically a railway team, established in 1923, who previously won the league title twice in 2002 and 2004.
The brave men who'll risk global scorn should they make the wrong call. The final training run for the#FIFAWorldCup referees at Moscow's Lokomotiv stadium @SBSNews @TheWorldGame pic.twitter.com/hON2S7IEbl
— Darren Mara (@DazzMara) June 12, 2018
Nicknamed as railroaders, Lokomotiv Moscow went through many historical transitions and saw a lot of ups and downs. But under current coach Yury Semin, the team have returned to their glory days, not only winning the national league but also managing to advance to the last 16 of the Europa League where they lost to eventual champion Atletico Madrid.
There was a big billboard showing the current Russian Premier League champion in all their glory.
