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There were only a few minutes left at midnight, and Miroslav Romaschenko would not leave. As Croatia's players rebounded in ecstasy and Russia collapsed, sorry, on the back, the deputy director of the losing team sat, frozen on the grounds of the Fisht Stadium .
He stood there, staring into space, while Croatian captain Luka Modric jumped into the crowd, celebrating the second semifinal of his country's World Cup; Fyodor Smolov and Mario Fernandes, the two players who missed the penalties, marked the end of the Russian tournament. and as the fans turned to leave, back to the beach, back to the bars, back to reality. His colleagues tried to wake him up, leaning down to whisper their commiseration, asking him if he wanted to raise his hand.
Gently, he waved the first supplications. When he finally moved, pushed to his feet by Alan Dzagoev, the Russian midfielder, he did it slowly, reluctantly. Once he left the field, once the clock ticked 12, once Tomorrow came, he knew everything would be over. Despite all the sorrow and suffering, he looked like a man not quite ready for that to end.
Nobody expected Russia to stay in her own party all this time. A draw in the group stage raised the possibility that the host could avoid the embarrbadment that many feared that he could suffer. At best, Stanislav Cherchesov's team could have hoped to survive the knockout rounds. Alexander Samedov, the midfielder, said on the eve of the tournament that all he wanted was to "make the country proud". He and his teammates did it, and so much more.
The unexpected success of Russia illuminated the entire tournament. This meant that the host was not just a scene for the carnival, but a continuous participant. By eliminating Spain, Russia has also helped add to the air of surrealism which, most likely, will remain the memory of this World Cup. However, this victory was not enough to ensure Russia a place in the collective heart of the planet. After all, it is not unusual for World Cup hosts to exceed their expectations and advance further into the tournament than their apparent talent suggests.
It is also not unusual for such a local success to attract raised eyebrows: South Korean witness badisted by the referees in the semi-finals in 2002; The controversial appearance of Argentina – and victory – in the final in 1978; even the long-standing South American allegations of a European conspiracy to facilitate the path of England to glory in 1966.
In the case of Russia, these suspicions came easily. After the Sochi Winter Olympics, after only four years, a large state-backed doping program corrupted the results and propelled Russia to the top of the medal standings. Russia played the quarter-finals of Saturday's World Cup in the stadium that opened and closed this event; The doping laboratory at the center of the charges is just outside the arena security zone.
It's a restaurant now. That's the price you pay, of course – just as all cyclists are vulnerable to being tarred by the sins of the past, regardless of their own guilt, so all Russian athletes are now, unjustly, greeted with skepticism . But that does not mean that the guilty always carry the cost alone. Assuming their innocence, they are also victims here. They are the ones who should receive garlands of praise for all that they have done, and not be dealing with innuendo and rumors. The way they answered at the end of their trip, there is no doubt that it all seemed real to the players, and to the staff.
They arrived here in Sochi, believing, with all their heart, that they could support this fancy of a month for a few more days. When Denis Cheryshev scored yet another goal in that dreamy summer, it seemed like they could; when Fernandes reduced the match to 2-2, plunged into added time, forcing another shootout, everyone seemed to believe that destiny and fortune were on the side of Russia. And when, in the middle of the shooting, Dzagoev urged the crowd to make even more noise, Mateo Kovacic did miss his kick from Croatia, it seemed like, once again, they were.
The spell, however, could not hold. At some point, even in the best parties, everyone has to go home. Fernandes missed; Domagoj Vida scored for Croatia, and Ivan Rakitic too. Croatia players ran to their fans. Russian players have sunk on the ground.
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