The first day of the World Cup went off almost without a hitch for the hosts, with a barnstorming victory after a brief, but polished opening ceremony that even a rude gesture by Robbie Williams could not derail.
The biggest worldwide event held in Russia began with a contest between the two worst teams in the competition on paper, but Russia, who were without a victory in seven games, exceeded expectations as they dismantled a hopeless Saudi Arabia defense to win 5-0.
Eight years and about US$14.6 billion has been spent preparing for soccer’s showpiece and inside the Luzhniki Stadium it felt as if organizers had struck the right note, with enthusiastic fans and well-drilled stewards.
Photo: AP
The result also helped, with a fifth goal seconds before the final whistle that had even Russian President Vladimir Putin rolling back in his seat and puffing his cheeks in disbelief.
Given the enormous budget of this World Cup, the opening ceremony was a relatively low-key affair with the British pop star Williams a surprise headline act.
He had almost finished performing his hit Rock DJ when he raised his middle finger to a TV camera, provoking widespread outrage and no little confusion.
It was not obvious what the 44-year-old meant by the gesture, but he is known to be a campaigner for LGBT rights and was heavily criticized for accepting the invitation to perform in a nation known for its outdated stance on gay people.
Putin was in the stadium, but had not yet taken his seat.
Just 15 minutes before kick-off, the Russian president was driven in a convoy of cars with blacked-out windows into an underground space beneath the 81,000-seat stadium. Large swaths of the crowd burst into a spontaneous chant of “Vladimir, Vladimir.”
When Russia won the right to host the World Cup eight years ago, Putin possibly expected it to be an opportunity to ingratiate himself with the international community.
The aims have changed drastically since then, with Russia’s involvement in wars in Ukraine and Syria, allegations of meddling in foreign elections and one of the biggest doping scandals in sporting history, but it was clear this tournament would not harm his popularity in his own country.
Putin was joined in the VIP box by a host of world leaders, including Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Kyrgyzstani President Sooronbay Jeenbekov and Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela.
They watched as Yuri Gazinskiy opened the scoring at 12 minutes with a header, which Saudi Arabia’s goalkeeper, Abdullah al-Mayouf, flapped at.
By the time Denis Cheryshev hit an unstoppable rifle of a shot into the roof of the net just before halftime, it was clear Russia would be putting a halt to their streak of seven games without a victory, their worst run since 1998.
Outside the stadium, where some visitors had expected police and security services to be overly aggressive, they were an unobtrusive, but reassuring presence.
The security searches to enter the stadium were extraordinarily thorough, with fans being ordered to switch phones and other electronic devices on and off before submitting to a full body pat down.
Locals spoke of concern that people would be apathetic, but Russian fans happily mingled with visitors in the afternoon sunshine.
Yasser, an IT engineer from Riyadh, attended the game with his wife and two young daughters.
They were surprise visitors, especially as women were not even allowed into soccer stadiums in Saudi Arabia until January.
The red and white of Peru was the dominant color on the streets of Moscow, with many of their 35,000 fans traveling to Russia making a stop in the capital before their opening game in Saransk today.
Peru are returning to the World Cup after a 36-year absence and the nation is united behind them.
Juan Quinonez, a former professional player, and his girlfriend, Tatiana, made the journey from Lima.
“We are a very poor country, so I’m not sure how all these people can afford to come, but everyone feels they need to be here,” he said.
The notable low moment in Moscow on Thursday came with the arrest of British LGBT campaigner Peter Tatchell, who was detained by police after standing beside the statue of Marshal Zhukov near the Kremlin holding a poster that read: “Putin fails to act against Chechnya torture of gay people.”
One-person protests are usually legal in Russia, but during the World Cup, a temporary rule has been introduced banning even one-person protests in some areas.
Tatchell was released and is to have a court hearing on June 26.
Later, a Russian fan displayed a rainbow flag during Putin’s speech, despite a broadly enforced law that bans “propaganda” about homosexuality to children. Security forces shrugged it off.
Minutes before the opening match, riot police hauled an unauthorized flag vendor into a police van just outside Luzhniki Stadium as he shouted “Help me! Help me!” and fans filmed on their phones. An officer then turned to the crowd, speaking in English and saying: “Nothing to worry about, go enjoy the game.”
Additional reporting by AP
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