Back of the nyet

It took until the semifinals, but England fans finally turned up in numbers. And they loved it.

Nikolskaya Street had been the place where fans from 24 countries in Fifa’s world football party would congregate.

But yesterday it was all about one team and the street’s buildings were covered with England flags in a sea of red and white.

From 10am, they were going up, and media teams were getting their interviews and video streams.

As the drinking progressed into the afternoon, the songs began in anticipation of a huge game.

It was the first time in this World Cup that I could really say that England fans made a small part of Russia their own.