Opinion | World Cup: Vladimir Putin’s PR offensive is the greatest win of all for Russia – call it the Fifa facelift
Shock victory on penalties against Spain has everyone cheering for the underdog hosts, while the Kremlin uses the World Cup to overhaul Russia’s image
The Russian team need not even kick another ball at the 2018 World Cup, because for them it is already mission accomplished.
Entering the tournament as the lowest-ranked team, few expected them to even get out of a tough group featuring Uruguay, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Clearly the Kremlin did not think much of Russia’s chances in their last 16 tie against 2010 champions Spain, either.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stayed away from his country’s first World Cup knockout match in the post-Soviet era, instead opting to watch on television as Russia shocked Spain 4-3 on penalties.
“Just like the whole country, Putin watched the game from start to finish and cheered for our [lads],” Russian news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.
Vlad the Lad wasn’t the only one cheering on the Russians. As I sat watching the game in a Mexican restaurant in Sai Ying Pun on Sunday night, nearly two thirds of the room were cheering every penalty kick scored by the hosts; howls of delight met every penalty missed by the Spaniards.
