Hotdog-munching trio in Russian garb unlikely stars of World Cup

MOSCOW (Reuters) - It was the eleventh minute of extra time in Russia's tense victory over Spain when the unlikely stars of the show emerged: three Russia fans clad in traditional female headgear shown on national TV snacking on hotdogs in the stands.





The spectacle of the trio who were picked out by television cameras eating serenely as the country's nerves frayed during the match against Spain propelled them to national fame.

The fans, two men and a woman, have become a viral Internet sensation and tributes have also spread offline thanks to artists such as Aleks Melentyev - who has depicted them in a graffiti mural on the side of a garage in south-east Moscow.

"They are so Russian! They had Spain flags on their cheeks but it was so obvious they were Russians, very colourful people. I liked them and I immediately decided to paint them," said the 35-year-old from the Siberian city of Omsk.

The mural shows them wearing their kokoshniki, a traditional Russian headdress usually sported by women and girls.

Melentyev praised the TV cameraman who picked them out of the crowd on Sunday. "He had 10 seconds on them, but I spent two hours and (my work) is packed with emotions and positive feelings," he told Reuters standing in front of the mural.

Expectations ahead of the World Cup were very low in Russia as the national team had endured months of bad form. But the country is now spellbound as their team has defied expectations, cruising to the quarter finals.

On Sunday, the hosts drew 1-1 with Spain, but clinched the match on penalties, winning a shootout 4-3.

"I hope that with these kinds of fans, we will win and go further," Melentyev added.

Russia plays Croatia in the quarter final on Saturday.





(Reporting by Anastasia Adasheva; Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Andrew Heavens)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world