The lowest-ranked team in the 2018 World Cup, Russia were expected to struggle at the tournament at home. But with the round of 16 qualification after winning the first two matches, the World Cup is going better than even Vladimir Putin expected.
This for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union that they have qualified for the knock out stage.
Increasingly isolated on the global stage, the World Cup has so far helped Putin send a defiant message to his opponents that Russia is succeeding despite Western efforts to hold it back.
Calls for a boycott by some Western politicians failed to gain traction, all Moscow’s organisation and infrastructure commitments have been met, and Russia’s 11 host cities have been flooded with international fans drinking, singing and dancing in the streets.
For Putin, Russia’s runaway success on the pitch has been the icing on the cake.
Russia thrashed Saudi Arabia 5-0 in their opening match and secured a surprise 3-1 win over Egypt in St Petersburg on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Uruguay’s victory over Saudi Arabia meant Russia is guaranteed to qualify for the second round.
“Putin is the kind of politician who wants victories,” senior fellow at the Kennan Institute and editor-at-large of Russian daily Vedomosti said. “For Putin, (politics) is a fight, a game, a gamble, a victory … and about showing everyone that Russia means something in the world.”