Outside of a supermarket, a line spilled out into the road as people waited to buy beverages. Asked how he found the spot, a Polish supporter named Peter explained, “I just followed the crowd.”
The crowd soon had to disperse, though: Within minutes, plain-clothes police officers arrived and shut down the operation. “The neighbors began complaining about the noise,” one policeman explained. “Otherwise we would have let them continue.”
Local pensioner Antonia Shorina, 78, found the complaint nonsensical. “For God’s sake, this is a celebration,” she said as she passed. “Everyone should be allowed to drink and have fun.”
Luckily for the revelers, the celebrations continued on an adjacent street. Outside a row of shops and restaurants, dozens of Polish fans — and those of Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, among others — drank while they mingled.
Muscovite Valery Komarov, 66, looked on with a grin. “This is what football should be about,” he said. “Look at all these different people drinking together.”
Two officers on horseback were observing, too. I went over to ask if the street fell outside of the two-kilometer restriction. “I don’t know about that,” said one officer who identified himself only as Sergei. “The rule is you can only drink out of plastic cups. If you see any other containers, please let me know.” Not 10 meters away, two Polish fans cheersed with aluminum cans.
In the spirit of bringing people together, I went to have a beer.