2 different great victories of Russia
At first I schould explain my decision to write new post in non-native way. I realize that it looks strange because 99% of sports.ru users speak russian language, but this action was inspired with the help of Collin's acquaintance on the World Cup 2018 match between Sweden and South Korea. Collin is Dundee United Club football fan from Scotland, he was sitting next to me with his scottish friend. They both finished one more plastic cup of beer each, but still was looking rather sober than me after victory in tournament open-match against Saudi Arabia.
The game process was too boring, so that's why people began to communicate with each other. " Will you sing Abba or Roxette if your national team win tonight?" - I asked the swedish couple. "Swedish people will sing Abba or Roxette in any case. No matter what result schould be" - Collin involved himself in discussion. So after that funny interruption we began to remember the greatest goal of Paul Gasciogne on Euro 96 against Scotland, some philosophical phrases from Danny's Boyle "Trainspotting" and tried to chart their own top-3 "Oasis" songs. "Our national team is worse than shit" - emotionally screamed Collin's friend (unfortunatelly haven't asked his name). "Don't worry, man!!! All our big country thinks the same way about the russian players before every big football competition and after it. You will have a great chance to be in final stage of EURO 2020, because the amount of participants will be expanded. Also Glasgow is one of the host-cities, so it can be one more additional motivation for your guys." - me asnwered.
At last Sweden had scored their winning goal with the help of Grankvist's penalty shot and stadium started to celebrate the victory (there were about 10 000 swedish fans against few thousands of Korea supporters). I exchanged by memorable photos with scottish guys and Collin asked me to give him the internet-link of my sports.ru profile (earlier I mentionted in mutual conversation that I have my personal football blog). "How will you read it? Russian is unknown foreign language for you." -"Google translate will assist me." - Collin answered with a wide smile. So Collin, if you read this article, you'll clearly understand how russian people jointly love and hate their national football team. Enjoy your reading....Russian language speakers can use Google translate:)
Hate
Hate, clear hate or hate mixed with the shame. Russian football fans can feel these emotions consequently and parallely during one match or during one unsuccessful year, sometimes we can be calm and judicious, but it lasts untill the new game will begin. Even realizing that we are much more weaker than Germany, Brazil, Argentina, France, we anyway wait for new happy ending story, that Russia beat them all and will be great again as in a Soviet period of football glory and traditions. But why must it happen? Do we have the best fields and infrastructure? No. Do we have perfect system of football education for youngsters like Germany or Spain have? No. Do we have healthy and fair compete between our local and foreign footballers in our national league? No, thanks to Mr. Mutko. But why we think we should be the best?
I try to guess, of course, I have my own attitude, but it looks complicated and unordinary. My version is that fact that we are the champions...the champions of ambitions. If there are measure system of worldwide ambitions, russian people will take the first place. It's not easy to explain this phenomenon, however it can be connected with everything. Deep russian soul and nature? May be. Local mass media propaganda? Probably. Our pride and memory for the important historical events and wish to continue them in future? Also it can be. Better to say that Russians are complicated in common structure, that's why we have wide variety of demands.
Love
Another side of our complexibility is love. We love like haven't loved in a previous time. Wave of this divine feeling kills new appeared thoughts about it. This emotional cocktail flows through our veins that gives us magnificent energy helping to forget all our pain. Something close to my description has happenned with russian fans on the 21 of June 2008 and the 1 of July 2018. These are the greatest dates of our sport pride and dignity. That nights could be the most noisy and happy in our football history, meanwhile such 2 victories are so different and it will be not correct to compare them.
The first one against the Netherlands is kind of crazy rock party. Just imagine, you are the first guy in a small town, but your ambitions don't allow to be satisfied with this local role and you register as unknown newcomer candidate in a fight tournament, where the Big Bosses are represented. So in a first playoff round your opponent sensationally was destroyed by you, according to all positions beginning from morality ending to force. If we try to turn this idiom into musical industry, this victory is like early Red Hot Chili Peppers rocking in a hugest open air concert. The win contains drive, enthusiasm, aggression and impertinence.
The second one against Spain is like Nirvana unplugged concert in a cosy compact hall. The whole spectrum of positive emotions appeared only in the end of the show, but all duration consists of pain recieved from life experience, suffering and big stress. Some people can say that such victories are boring, but I don't think so. Football loves diversity. Yeah, surely these wins are not the same and we also can tell that Russian national team deserves both of them.
FIFA World Cup 2018 will soon come to an end which gives us a new king of football. I am really glad that Russia hosts such legend tournament in 11 cities from the Baltic Sea till Ural Mountain Chain and does it really well in a high level. Just love this game and show must go on!!!
