World Cup 2018: Euphoria and disbelief on the streets of St Petersburg after Russia run rivals into the ground

Whatever expectations this proud yet strangely morose country had of their team ahead of the tournament, it’s fair to say they didn’t predict this

The old saying goes that Moscow is Russia’s heart, while St Petersburg is its head: more thoughtful and reflective, less loud and brazen, more introspective, less nakedly emotional. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, however, none of that was holding true. As Russians celebrated their 3-1 win over Egypt at the Krestovksy Stadium, the city’s streets and bars were a riot of colour and noise, of waving flags and throaty song, of not merely supreme joy, but a curious disbelief.

The win over Egypt, following the 5-0 trouncing of Saudi Arabia on Thursday, has all but secured their passage to the second round of the World Cup for the first time since the days of the Soviet Union. Two games, eight goals, qualification secured by day six, and Denis Cheryshev level with Cristiano Ronaldo in the Golden Boot standings. Whatever expectations this proud yet strangely morose country had of their team ahead of the tournament, it’s fair to say they didn’t predict this.

So what’s going on here? How have the lowest-ranked side in the tournament managed to secure the best start by a host nation in World Cup history? A soft schedule is one element, but Russia are by no means the first hosts to have an easy ride in that respect. Besides, the prospect of facing Spain or Portugal in round two should allay any suspicion that the draw has been rigged in their favour.

Instead, Russia’s rise has been founded on that very old-school trait: running, and lots of it. Collectively, they covered a staggering 118km against Saudi Arabia, compared to the tournament average of 105km. They almost matched it on Tuesday night, running 115km. In terms of individuals, three Russians top the list of most distance covered per 90 minutes: Aleksandr Golovin, Alexander Samedov and Yury Gazinsky. So far, Russia have literally been running their opponents into the ground.

Where all this running has come from, of course, is anybody’s guess. Perhaps it’s simply the magic elixir of hosting the biggest football tournament on earth, the energy boost you get from a partisan home crowd, with deputy prime minister Vitaly Mutko amongst the dignitaries watching from the stands. What’s undeniable is that Russia’s hard-running game, based on fierce pressing and blitzkrieg counter-attacks, is proving exceptionally effective.

What has also been notable is the willingness of coach Stanislav Cherchesov to abandon some of the orthodoxies that underpinned Russia’s abject form in the run-up to the tournament. The five-man defence has been abandoned. First-choice striker Artem Dzyuba had played just once in two years before the start of the tournament. Most remarkable, however, has been the resurgence of Cheryshev, a player who barely scraped into the squad and began the tournament on the fringes of the team.

Russia fans celebrate their win over Egypt in St Petersburg (AFP/Getty Images)

Cheryshev, the Villarreal winger, is that rarest of things in this largely domestic-based Russian squad: a foreigner in the midst. Born in Russia but raised in Spain since the age of five, he speaks Russian with a slight accent, and even into his 20s, would claim in interviews that he felt more Spanish than Russian. Flashy and cosmopolitan and plagued by injuries in recent years, Cheryshev was long seen as an indulgence, a show pony, out of keeping with Russia’s defensive traditions and stoic mentality. But Alan Dzagoev’s unfortunate injury in the opening game offered him a chance that he has grabbed with both feet.

Where we go from here, of course, is anybody’s guess. Already Russia’s lightning start has awakened something in a country whose relationship with its national team in recent years has been more often characterised by a sort of morose pessimism. A group of conservative MPs – and in Russia, of course, there is little else out there – have drafted a bill in the state Duma proposing to make it a criminal offence for anyone to criticise the team. And like South Korea in 2002 or Argentina in 1978, we have seen in the past how a wave of patriotic fervour and a few lucky breaks can propel a flawed side well beyond its pre-tournament expectations.

The doubts over this Russia side will doubtless persist. Will they buckle against better opposition? Will their seemingly bottomless well of energy fail them at some point? But for the Russians thronging the streets of St Petersburg into Wednesday morning, all that could take a back seat. They were simply there to savour the moment: not so much a celebration as a thanksgiving, an exaltation of a journey that they – like us – still can’t quite credit.