Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WE WAS ROBBIED
Singer does winning turn at Unfancied hosts thump World Cup opening ceremony Saudi 5-0 in first match
The journalist who dubbed the Russia v Saudi Arabia match “El Gasico” because the two countries rely on energy exports. Nike who stopped supplying Iran’s footballers with boots due to sanctions. Iranian officials point out the same company supplied the team at the 2014 World Cup when sanctions existed. 89% of tickets have been snapped up for the 64 matches at the finals. Erika Choperena is the wife of France player Antoine Griezmann. The Spanish psychologist wed the star in 2017. ROBBIE Williams showed the world how to Party Like a Russian as he kicked off the World Cup in style yesterday.
The singer, 44, found the back of the net with his stunning performance during the tournament’s opening ceremony.
And hosts Russia – the lowest-ranked team – kept the party going with an astonishing 5-0 demolition of Saudi Arabia in the first match. Celebrations went on all night and some bars in Moscow offered free vodka to help fans celebrate their incredible Group A win. Earlier, Robbie wowed a crowd of 78,011 at the capital’s Luzhniki Stadium and hundreds of millions of TV viewers with a set made up of Let me Entertain You, Angels, Rock DJ and Feel.
The former Take That star, who was joined on stage by Russian soprano Aida Garifullina, 30, has toured the nation before and got a rapturous reception.
He did not sing his hit Party Like a Russian, which is critical of oligarchs. But some fans saw red over him swearing and making a rude gesture during Rock DJ.
It was unclear if Robbie was paid for his performance – but a line change in Rock DJ seemed to suggest he did it for nothing.
He usually sings “Pimping ain’t easy, most of them fleece me” but his time added in “but I did this for free”.
Former Brazil striker Ronaldo, 41, who scored 15 goals over three World Cups, also featured in the launch.
There was a smattering of boos as President Vladimir Putin got up to address the crowd. But most of the fans listened quietly and cheered when he finished.
Mr Putin said: “Love for football unites the entire world in one team, regardless of people’s language or ideology. This grand sporting event is taking place in Russia for the first time and we are truly happy. In our country, football is not just a popular sport,