They’ve taught Russia to smile
Russian president is enjoying this World Cup. He has sneaked out a rise in the pension age and raised taxes while everyone’s attention has been on the football.
But even he must be surprised at the scale of the transformation taking place in the nation’s major cities.
People in Moscow swear they have not seen anything like it. Car horns blared, girls in traditional dress danced in the street with strangers, and children watched in wide-eyed amazement.
Russians are not used to smiling. They find it suspicious. But they cannot stop smiling now. Even the granny draped in the Russian flag staggering home at 1am with a kebab was grinning broadly.
You could hear them singing “ROSSIYA! ROSSIYA!” into the early hours – with fans from all over the world joining in.
Fernandes, who started playing only for Russia last April after gaining citizenship in 2016, said: “To see the support here, everyone is happy. For sure, it’s my best moment in football.
“We haven’t practiced taking penalties but Akinfeev is a top goalkeeper. He’s one of the best, not only in Russia but in the whole world.
“In football, Russia has never done something as big as this. The whole country is happy and supporting us. I’m so happy that the people are happy.”
This is the first time Russia have reached the World Cup quarter-finals as an independent nation, and they are proud of it.
They could even meet England in the semifinals. But Fernandes can’t help but dream even bigger.
“Of course, after Russia, Brazil are my team. It’s the country where I was born. But I hope they don’t get to the final…”