A Russian cat reputed to have psychic powers made a perfect start to the World Cup by successfully predicting the winner of the first game on Thursday.

Achilles, whose day job is catching mice at the St Petersburg's Hermitage Museum, plumped for his home nation of Russia, who went on to beat Saudi Arabia in the tournament opener.

The feline pundit garnered a reputation as a psychic last summer by predicting a number of results correctly in the Confederations Cup, which was also held in Russia.

Achilles, who is deaf, was presented to the world’s media for his first prediction of the tournament.

The cat was offered two bowls of food with the flags of two nations over each. He initially hesitated for a moment before eating from the one representing his motherland.