After Egypt win, Moscow city centre becomes a party zone
MOSCOW: Even if you are avowedly anti-football but forced to be in Moscow now, you would know whether Russia won or not if you tried hailing a taxi after the hosts played in this World Cup. The fares simply surge north.
As it did on Tuesday night after Russia beat Egypt 3-1. Roads out of the city centre were clogged faster than you could say Denis Cherysev or Artem Dzyuba --- whose goals after a self-goal from Ahmed Fathy fetched the win ---- within minutes of the final whistle in St Petersburg.
For many, this seemed like a mid-summer night’s dream. And everyone in Moscow wanted to be a part of it.
From the Tverskaya Street to the Tretyakov Gallery, through the iconic Bolshoi Theatre, there was hardly a metre of space as fans poured in. This meant fewer taxis out of the place and a massive spike in charges by those offering their services.
Minutes after the win, loud, coordinated chants of ‘Russia! Russia!’ filled the air. Then, a pub in the corner of Tverskaya Street played the ‘Gosudárstvennyy Gimn Rossíyskoy Federátsii’ (the national anthem). What had seemed like a wild, exuberant crowd in drunken disarray till this point, suddenly showed the kind of cohesion their team had displayed on the pitch in their opening two games as thousands across the street joined in to sing along.
“We know we won’t win the World Cup but even reaching the next round is a great achievement for us. We are all proud of this team,” said Igor, who was watching the game at one of the pubs at the city centre here.
“Even in 2008 (when Russia made the semi-finals of the European championships), the celebrations weren’t as big as tonight. I think the fact that we are the hosts of the World Cup has also given greater importance to us reaching the next round,” said Russia fan Ksenia, a couple of hours after the game.
“I hope there are many more to come,” Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov said when asked if it was the best day of his life.
Such shared euphoria has often led to a spike in birth rates. It did in Barcelona after the 2009 Champions League title and again when Iceland stunned England. last year The World Cup’s given Russia a reason to party. In time we will know whether it has also birthed a generation.