– We hope very much. But it will be difficult. Belgium has a very good team, says Yevgeny Simchakin.
He walks over the footbridge, which connects Krestovsky Lake with the mainland. On the island’s headland is the giant Gazprom Stadium, completed in 2017 and one of Europe’s most modern. It also cost seven times more than planned and has become a symbol of the Putin regime’s corruption.
Over the bridge in the balmy June evening, Russian and Belgian fans stream side by side. They photograph themselves together and change shirts. Yevgeny and his friends have adorned themselves with both white-blue-red Russian flags and the blue-white-green flag of the Komi Republic.
They are happy – they have traveled a long way to see Russia play in the European Championships.
– We have come all the way from the Komi Republic up north. We drove 1,600 kilometers by car to St. Petersburg. It took 22 hours. It’s great to be here, although of course I’m aware that the Belgians are playing on a different level. They have much more skilled players than us, states Aleksandr Mazakov.
He hopefully adds:
– But the fact is that sometimes it can mean miracles when you really give everything. Like in 2018, when Russia played in the World Cup and moved on from the group stage, which no one had thought. We hope for a miracle this time too.