Euphoria

A wave of enthusiastic cheers swept through the crowd that flooded the street and hundreds of hands flew up, followed by a disappointed rumble… It is not necessary to be at the stadium or near the monitor to watch a football match. The joy of victory and the bitterness of defeat can all be seen in the eyes of the fans. Russia, the center of Moscow. It was here that a kind of spontaneous fan zone was formed. For a month, squares and streets were an almost continuous procession of chanting and singing people in colorful clothes with painted faces. Hundreds of flags from different countries flashed over the large crowd. The Football World Cup is not only a game, it is a real celebration for fans of this sport! - "Have a nice evening." - said the policeman near the entrance frames. After just a few steps, you seem to plunge into Nikolskaya Street, stuffy from the invasion of people. Even at night, the heat did not subside. The central streets, warmed up by the bodies of the fans, turned into some kind of carnival at dusk. - "He performs a ritual so that the Russian national team goes out somewhere. I am their translator," the girl explains, pointing to a foreign fan who, kneeling surrounded by other fans, performs some manipulations with the Russian flag. After staying here for some time, people seem to fall into a state of euphoria. She is so in the air that you don't need any special dope to succumb to this mood. Without drinking a drop of alcohol, you still get drunk. The air, saturated with adrenaline and the smells of alcohol, makes you love everyone and everything. - "Put on a fan uniform and any Russian girl is yours!"- a tipsy young man advises his friend. "I love my camera, I love Russians, I love Russia!" said the Argentina fan, pulling the camera out of his backpack. - "He wants to have a drink with the Russians, but he is upset that they don't speak much English." - the Russian explained, helping to unfurl the Argentine flag in front of him. A fan from France who looked into the sports bar shared: - "I love Russians because they smile a lot and want to help everyone." There are almost no rules and restrictions in the ways and methods of expressing their emotions. When, if not now, can you have a drink and smoke right on Red Square… Numerous broken benches and lanterns are just the result of the expression of happiness that prevailed here. Every day the smell of spilled beer became stronger, and the soles of the shoes stuck to the sidewalk more and more, reminding of the imminent finale. The moment the whistle blew for the end of the final match, the whole meaning of the World Cup seemed to be pushed into the background. It doesn't matter who became the champion, everyone shouted their own, everyone sang their own songs. And we, the Russians, at that moment wished that they, the fans, would never leave, maybe then we would really smile a lot!