Russian and Sochi football legends took part in an unusual match at an altitude of 2,064 meters above sea level to mark the 50-day countdown to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The match took place on a football pitch created on the snow in the special mountain climate zone "Circus-2." The Gorki Gorod resort is listed in the Russian Book of Records as the highest.
Two teams, "Russian Football Legends" and "Sochi Football Legends," played two 15-minute periods. The conditions were unusual for the players, as the grass was replaced by snow, making dribbling quite difficult.
Andrei Kanchelskis is a FIFA ambassador and one of the most decorated Soviet and Russian football players., says:
"In Soviet times, people played on sand, snow, pebbles, and asphalt. And everything was fine. And there were results. So for us, playing on a makeshift snow field—there's nothing wrong with that. The most important thing is the end result."
The 20 by 40 meter snow field met the standards of the Russian Football Union. A renowned figure came to support the players. Soviet footballer and ambassador of the World Cup in Sochi, Yevgeny Lovchev:
"We're showing that we're ready to play both here and down there. We're showing the world that we're ready to host the World Cup here in Sochi."
In this record-breaking match, the final result was a friendly draw, with the match ending with a score of 3:3.
According to Acting General Director of the Gorki Gorod resort, Alexander Nemtsov, The football theme is very close to the resort:
"We're actively developing the Gorki Gorod football team—last year they won the Krasnaya Polyana Cup. It was here that the renowned World Cup Trophy was held at an altitude of approximately 1,000 meters above sea level."
The match ended 3-3. Officially, such a match at such a high altitude had never been held in Russia. After the game, a representative of the Russian Book of Records issued a certificate confirming the new achievement.
During the break, fans were entertained by the official World Cup mascot, Zabivaka™ the wolf. Guests at the festive event had the opportunity to take a commemorative photo with him, receive FIFA-branded souvenirs, and participate in a prize draw from Alfa Bank, the official bank of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Furthermore, after the outdoor sports battles, spectators and participants were treated to an exclusive "football" menu—40 kilograms of meat products, 40 packages of various breads, and 15 kilograms of vegetables—enough to fill a model of Sochi's Fisht Stadium. The Sochi Meat Processing Plant prepared this gastronomic event for guests especially for the 50-day celebration before the start of the FIFA World Cup.
The FIFA World Cup will be held from June 14 to July 15, 2018, in 11 Russian cities. Sochi will host teams from Portugal and Spain (June 15), Belgium and Panama (June 18), Germany and Sweden (June 23), and Australia and Peru (June 26). Sochi residents and visitors will be able to watch the opening match on June 14 at the Fan Fest venue, which will be open during the tournament on the Southern Pier of the Seaport in the city center.
Source: trn-news.ru