Round of 16
England v Colombia
Spartak Stadium
Moscow, Russia
3 July 2018
It's the Round of 16 and England will face the dangerous Colombians. In the Group Stages Colombia had managed to bounce back from a 2:1 defeat to Japan to smash the Poles 3:0 and send the Senegalese packing with a 1:0 victory. The results ensured they qualified top of Group H.
As we were planning an additional 2 days in SP we booked a flight from Kaliningrad on 30 June. Then we had to book another flight from SP to Moscow on 1 July after discovering we would play the Colombians in Moscow and not the Japanese in Rostov-on-Don. Heading back East to SP and then Moscow, the weather had turned autumnal and rainy
As World Cup fever started to grip England, tickets for the knockout games involving England were becoming much more sort after. The English presence in Moscow was starting to swell as more and more fans piled into the Russian capital in the hope of a ticket or just to lap up the atmosphere on Red Square and its surrounds
The game itself was one of the most intense that I have witnessed following England over land, sea and tundra. Most of the stadium was full of Colombians and other South Americans all praying for a Colombian victory. The English faithful were making themselves heard with newly tweaked classics like the 'Vodka Song' and the rather embarrassing 'Southgate Turns me on song'.
The first half was strewn with bad tackles and the occasional act of thuggery as Jordan Henderson was head butted to the ground in the penalty area by Wilmar Barrios with the Colombian escaping with a yellow as the US ref Mike Geiger bottled it and oddly enough the VAR system didn't seem to pick it up. At half time as Jessie Lingard was jogging off he appeared to be elbowed by one of the Colombian officials, again the US ref did very little to the official.
In the 2nd Half the match continued in the same vain and when in the 54th minute Geiger awarded England a penalty when Harry Kane was hauled to the ground by Sanchez. The penalty was delayed for three and a half minutes as the Colombians protested aggressively, and whilst the ref was distracted they started to stamp and scuff the penalty spot in an attempt to affect the outcome of the Pen. Up steps Harry Kane and BOOM! 1:0 to England as Harry calmly smashes the ball down the middle of the goal. The game was petering out for an England victory, when with seconds to go up pops Colombia's Yerry Mina to power a header passed Pickford. The match ends 1:1 and extra time is looms............
.
Outstanding view from Block D 226 in the South Stand
England 1 Colombia 1 (AET) England win 4:3 on Penalties
Attendance: 44190
'Chips' in central Moscow is a swanky eatery near the Bolshoi Theatre, set on 4 levels. Nice 😎
Chips on the Terrace in Moscow
Day 2 - Match Day and Red Square
The next day we posted our post cards (открытки)
The Moscow Metro is an incredible sight.
This is Mayakovskaya (маяковская)
on the Green Line (Line 2). It is one of the best.
Resurrection Gate (Iberian Gate) is the only existing gate of Kitai -Gorod (китай город). It was rebuilt in the 1990s after Stalin ordered its destruction to allow better access to Red Square for the Soviet Armed Forces to parade
The gates connect Red Square
with Manazhnaya Square
Kazan Cathedral on Red Square contains a replica of the miracle icon of the Kazan Virgin. The church has also been rebuilt following its destruction on the orders of Stalin in 1936
Gary and Sue on Red Square
Big Steve by St Basil's Cathedral
The cathedral has 8 small chapels, this one is known as
the 'three patriarchs of Constantinople'
View from one of the porches across Red Square
Monument to Minin and Pozharskiy commemorating their leadership in defending Russia from the Poles by driving them out of Moscow in 1612
Traditional Russian teapot - Samovar (самовар)
Englands No1 at No1 Red Square (красная площадь)
Moscow's famous GUM Department Store
In Russian it is known as 'ГУМ' (GUM in English). The full name is beyond the scope of this Russian lesson 😀
World Cup fever hits the GUM store
A real man!
We take the purple line (line 7) to the Spartak Arena and get off at Tushinskaya for beers
We find a gem of a pub, deep in Spartak territory known simply as the 'Beer Bar' (пивной бар)
пивной бар - a real Football Bar
Proper Fans
за здоровье 🍺
Sue and Terry with the St George's Cross
painted on his head - Happy Days 😎
Spartak Metro Station
The Great Colombian Photo Bomb 💣
Official 2018 World Cup Poster
Spartak Stadium Moscow
Стадион «Спартак» в Москве
Spartak Stadium is also known as Otkyrite Arena and is home to Russia's largest and most successful club side Spartak Moscow. The stadium has a capacity of 45000 and amazingly it is Spartak's first dedicated stadium.
"I'm Spartacus"
"No, I'm Spartacus"
«Нет, мы Спартак»
Fraternising with the Villa and QPR
This could get get messy
Football mates
Bud Life
Finally I succumb to a quick photo shoot
Sunderland Boys are in Moscow
Paying my respects to 'Fyodor Cherenkov'; a legend of
Spartak Moscow and the Soviet Union national team
Red and White fascia of the new stadium is impressive
Sue and Steve on tour
Anthems 1
Anthems 2
England looked to have won this ill disciplined match but nothing is that simple with England, as up pops Colombia's Yerry Mina to power a header passed Pickford in extra time. The match ends 1:1 and extra time looms
Extra time came and went with neither side taking the advantage, so here we go again. Penalties! England have lost 6 of their last 7 penalty shoot outs. Grim stats indeed 😨
After biting my nails to the quick we finally succeed in a penalty shoot out, following a thrilling but nerve racking 4:3 victory. The headlines will no doubt be grabbed by Pickford after making an outstanding save against Bacca to beat those dirty Colombians
Day 3 - The Kremlin
Marshal Zhukhov on a stallion in front of the Russian Historical Museum. Zhukov led the Red Army during the siege of Leningrad (1941-44) and capture of Berlin in 1945
The tomb of the unknown soldier at the Kremlin Walls
«твоё имя неизвестно, подвиг твой бессмертен»
"Your name is unknown, your deed is immortal"
The Kremlin Walls was formerly used as a state mass burial ground, in later years people were cremated and their ashes were interred in the walls. The practice stopped in 1984.
Changing of the guard of the 'Unknown soldier'
Statue known as 'Four Seasons' in Alexander Gardens
After negotiating a very long queue we enter the Kremlin via Trinity Tower, which apparently is the same route that Napoleon took way back in1812
Behold! The world's largest Bell
OK, so what happened was the original Tsar Bell (not this one) fell from the belfry in 1701 during a fire. When it landed it shattered and the fragments were used to cast a second bell (this one). Sadly the 200 tonne Tsar Bell was still in it's casting pit when the Kremlin caught fire again but during this fire a slab of the bell broke off and the bell was never used 😟
The Tsar Cannon was cast in 1586 and is one of the largest cannons ever built. Its Bronze barrel weighs 40 tonnes and its calibre is 35 inch.
Originally it was intended to guard the Saviour's Tower, but it has only ever been used to blast the ashes of the 'False Dmitri' back to Poland.
The Assumption Cathedral is the most important of all the Kremlin Cathedrals and was used for formal state occasions until the end of the Romanov Dynasty
Tsars and Grand Princes were crowned here and heads of church were chosen. All within the cathedral walls.
Cathedral of the Annunciation was the home church of the Grand Princes and Tsars & was used on domestic occasions
The Cathedral of the Archangel was the burial church of Muscovite Princes and the First Tsars of Russia
The Patriarch's Palace was the home of the head of the Russian church 'Patriarch Nikon' (1652-1666)
The Church of the Deposition of the Robe of the Holy Virgin is tucked away in the corner. This was the private church of the Metropolitans and Patriarchs of Russia
Ivan the Great Bell Tower at 81 meters this was
once the tallest building in Moscow
Tsar Bell at the foot of the Great Bell Tower
Looking back on the Kremlin Cathedrals
Exiting onto Red Square
Fan Zone at Red Square, unfortunately
the 'beat the robot keeper was out of service
Alighting at the Arbatskaya metro station for refreshments
Monument to Vladimir the Great who introduced Christianity to Russia in the 10th century
The Russian State library, formerly known as
the V.I.Lenin State library of the USSR
Day 4 - Sue travels home and I head to Samara
One the way to the metro at Tverskaya we pass this colossal state of Alexander Pushkin the famous Russian poet, playwright and novelist
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