Vladimir Putin was quick off the mark yesterday, when he unexpectedly interrupted Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov's post-match press conference following the host nation's 5-0 demolition of Saudi Arabia.
The Russian president was as thrilled as his fellow countrymen and telephoned to instruct Cherchesov to thank his players for their stylish victory.
It was a result few saw coming and neither Cherchesov nor Putin could hide their smiles as the hosts, ranked 70th and without a win in seven games, produced one of the most emphatic opening-day performances in World Cup history.
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The former Soviet Union goalkeeper had been under huge pressure coming into the match at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. A phlegmatic character, he said the win would not change his demeanour, results never do, but few in the room believed him.
Asked if there was a risk his players could get big-headed, the 54-year-old said: "I don't think there's a danger of that, we know why we're here.
"We went for a walk before the game and we talked about how this tournament is just the beginning. OK, we won 5-0 and we got three points but it could have been a draw and only a point – we would still have to get out of the group.
"We won our first game at [last summer's] Confederations Cup and it didn't take us too far. So we're on the right track but we should turn the page and forget this game."
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Russia play Egypt on Tuesday and the expectation levels here will now go off the charts.
The mood in the Saudi camp, however, could not be more different and their Spanish coach Juan Antonio Pizzi did not try to sugar-coat it.
"Results like this don't happen very often in World Cups and we need to recover from this shameful situation," said Pizzi.
"I trust my efforts, I trust my players and I fully trust that we'll have a better performance in the next game."
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