You normally don’t hear any horns in the streets of Moscow but Tuesday night was different. Each and every single vehicle was pressing horn rhythmically after regular intervals with people showing up from the windows holding the Russia flag.
Thousands of Russian fans literally went crazy in celebration after the host nation confirmed their second win in a row in the 2018 Fifa World Cup to eventually seal a Round of 16 berth.
Russia are hosting the greatest show on earth for the first time in history and started their Group A campaign with a resounding 5-0 win over Saudi Arabia before beating Egypt 3-1 in their second match Tuesday.
The Russian fans enjoyed their latest triumph in bars, pubs, halls and fan zones but as the game ended, they rushed to Kremlin cheering “Russia, Russia”. Fans from other nations like Morocco and Mexico joined the party.
The Red Square was closed so the fans took over the nearby streets and celebrated madly. They were singing, dancing and chanting individually, and in groups. Some of them even jumped into the fountain near Saint Basil’s Cathedral.
The streets leading upto Kremlin were jampacked with people waving the national flag. The elated fans were giving high fives to random people and received congratulatory messages in reply.
This is the atmosphere prevailing in Russia at the moment. Whereas almost all the favourite teams have failed to make their mark yet, Russia have been a breath of fresh air with their electrifying performances. This achievement is all the more significant bearing in mind that after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia have failed to cross the group stage thrice, winning just three matches.
Russia however, have changed all that in this edition, as they find themselves in the knockout stage, despite being the lowest ranked team leading upto the World Cup. All the criticism prior to the tournament seems like a distant memory now.
