Red Square basked in warm sunshine as thousands of fans from around the globe gathered to watch Russia’s big show kick off.

It was quite the scene in the centre of Moscow: Russians with their tricolours; Brazilian fans in colourful Mohawks; Mexican fans in sombreros; German fans with techno hair and metalware. Not even the sombre-suited operatives scuttling between them took away from the carnival.

As President Vladimir Putin wished teams and supporters “unforgettable memories”, cheers went out.

The Russian supporters gathered there were excited, impatient even. The opponents, Saudi Arabia, were hardly known for being a footballing force. But few Russian fans were hopeful for anything other than an inglorious and early exit from the tournament they were hosting.

“We haven’t got a hope in hell,” said Sergei Bogdanov, 23, a postgraduate student from Moscow. “This is where the party ends, but we’ll enjoy the ride.”

As the evening went on, as Russia scored the first goal of the tournament, and then, as the score crept up ... two, three, four, five, the belief among the local faithful picked up. Might the team repeat the success of the Euro 2008 tournament, when Russia came a respectable fourth, some wondered?

Vladimir Putin speaks ahead of Russia 2018 World Cup

Many of the foreign fans joined in the Russian festivities. Others watched on, bemused.

“I had thought Russians lacked red blood, with their grey faces and so on,” said Rafael Martinez, a middle-aged Colombia supporter. “There’s clearly a lot we don’t understand about these people.”

Mr Martinez said everything in Russia had been the exact opposite to what it was like back home in Colombia, especially the order.

World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Show all 40 1 /40 World Cup 2018 opening ceremony World Cup 2018 opening ceremony MOSCOW, RUSSIA - JUNE 14: General view of the pre match show prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Group A match between Russia and Saudi Arabia at Luzhniki Stadium on June 14, 2018 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) Shaun Botterill Getty Images World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Iker Casillas and Russian model Natalia Vodianova present the World Cup trophy EPA World Cup 2018 opening ceremony epa06807138 Fans cheer in front of the main stage of the Fan Fest area as they wait for the screening of the first match of FIFA World Cup 2018 between Russia and Saudi Arabia, St.Petersbug, Russia 14 June 2018. The FIFA World Cup will take place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018. EPA/ETIENNE LAURENT ETIENNE LAURENT EPA World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Soccer Football - World Cup - Group A - Russia vs Saudi Arabia - Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia - June 14, 2018 General view before the match REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov MAXIM SHEMETOV REUTERS World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Russian President Vladimir Putin waves after delivering his speech AFP/Getty Images World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Robbie Williams performs with Russian soprano Aida Garifullina as former Brazilian international player Ronaldo applauds AFP/Getty Images World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Argentina fans heers during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group A match between Russia and Saudi Arabia Getty Images World Cup 2018 opening ceremony epa06807156 Russian soprano Aida Garifullina performs during the opening ceremony prior to the FIFA World Cup 2018 group A preliminary round soccer match between Russia and Saudi Arabia in Moscow, Russia, 14 June 2018. (RESTRICTIONS APPLY: Editorial Use Only, not used in association with any commercial entity - Images must not be used in any form of alert service or push service of any kind including via mobile alert services, downloads to mobile devices or MMS messaging - Images must appear as still images and must not emulate match action video footage - No alteration is made to, and no text or image is superimposed over, any published image which: (a) intentionally obscures or removes a sponsor identification image; or (b) adds or overlays the commercial identification of any third party which is not officially associated with the FIFA World Cup) EPA/ABEDIN TERKENAREH EDITORIAL USE ONLY ABEDIN TERKENAREH EPA World Cup 2018 opening ceremony MOSCOW, RUSSIA - JUNE 14, 2018: Performers at the opening ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup at Luzhniki Stadium. Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS (Photo by Stanislav Krasilnikov\\TASS via Getty Images) Stanislav Krasilnikov Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Performers hold the 2018 soccer World Cup logo prior to the match between Russia and Saudi Arabia which opens the at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Victor Caivano) Victor Caivano AP World Cup 2018 opening ceremony President Vladimir Putin speaks before the opening match Reuters World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Soccer Football - World Cup - Opening Ceremony - Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia - June 14, 2018 Performers during the opening ceremony REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov MAXIM SHEMETOV REUTERS World Cup 2018 opening ceremony President Vladimir Putin on the big screen before the match REUTERS World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Moscow Fan Fest Getty Images World Cup 2018 opening ceremony A Russia fan with Saudi Arabia fans EPA World Cup 2018 opening ceremony President Vladimir Putin speaks before the opening match REUTERS World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Soccer Football - World Cup - Opening Ceremony - Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia - June 14, 2018 General view of a performer during the opening ceremony REUTERS/Carl Recine CARL RECINE REUTERS World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Robbie Williams performs AFP/Getty Images World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Soccer Football - World Cup - Group A - Russia vs Saudi Arabia - Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia - June 14, 2018 Russia fans before the match REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach KAI PFAFFENBACH REUTERS World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Soccer Football - World Cup - Opening Ceremony - Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia - June 14, 2018 General view during the opening ceremony REUTERS/Carl Recine CARL RECINE REUTERS World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Saudi Arabia fans EPA World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Soccer Football - World Cup - Opening Ceremony - Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia - June 14, 2018 Performers during the opening ceremony REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov MAXIM SHEMETOV REUTERS World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Soccer Football - World Cup - Opening Ceremony - Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia - June 14, 2018 Robbie Williams performs during the opening ceremony REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach KAI PFAFFENBACH REUTERS World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Robbie Williams and Aida Garifullina perform Getty Images World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Colombia fans before the match EPA World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Diego Maradona looks on AP World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Fan zone in Yekaterinburg AP World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Robbie Williams performs REUTERS World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Soccer Football - World Cup - Opening Ceremony - Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia - June 14, 2018 General view of the opening ceremony REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov MAXIM SHEMETOV REUTERS World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Robbie Williams performs Reuters World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Artists perform before the group A match between Russia and Saudi Arabia which opens the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic) Darko Bandic AP World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Soccer Football - World Cup - Opening Ceremony - Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia - June 14, 2018 Performers during the opening ceremony REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov MAXIM SHEMETOV REUTERS World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Robbie Williams performs Getty World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Soccer Football - World Cup - Opening Ceremony - Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia - June 14, 2018 Performers during the opening ceremony REUTERS/Grigory Dukor GRIGORY DUKOR REUTERS World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Fans dance outside the stadium prior to the opening match between Russia and Saudi Arabia during the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) Rebecca Blackwell AP World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Artists perform before the group A match between Russia and Saudi Arabia which opens the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic) Darko Bandic AP World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Soccer Football - World Cup - Group A - Russia vs Saudi Arabia - Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia - June 14, 2018 Russia fan with body paint before the match REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach KAI PFAFFENBACH REUTERS World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Soccer Football - World Cup - Opening Ceremony - Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia - June 14, 2018 Artists perform during the opening ceremony REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov MAXIM SHEMETOV REUTERS World Cup 2018 opening ceremony Soccer Football - World Cup - Opening Ceremony - Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia - June 14, 2018 Artists perform during the opening ceremony REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov MAXIM SHEMETOV REUTERS World Cup 2018 opening ceremony A general view during the opening ceremony before the Russia 2018 World Cup Group A football match between Russia and Saudi Arabia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on June 14, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Mladen ANTONOV / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - NO MOBILE PUSH ALERTS/DOWNLOADSMLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images MLADEN ANTONOV AFP/Getty Images

“I agree,” said Major Alejandro Saavedra, one of the five Columbian policemen on duty. “People here respect the police. They fear the law.”

A few hours earlier, and a few yards away, the veteran British LGBT+ activist Peter Tatchell tested those laws with a one-man protest. Usually, one-person pickets in Russia are legal; but they have in fact been banned for the duration of the World Cup. After a long conversation with a policeman, in which the two men debated the detail of the Russian constitution, Mr Tatchell was politely asked to accompany the police officer to a car. He was later released, pending a court hearing on 26 June.

On his reasons for staging the protest, Mr Tatchell said before his arrest: “Little action has been taken by the Russian government and police to crack down on far-right extremists who target LGBT+ people for violent and humiliating assaults – including the instigators of the current threats to bash and stab LGBT+ football fans at the World Cup.”

Peter Tatchell detained in Moscow- Gay activist held after one-man protest against Russian treatment of LGBT+ community

It was a level of civility rarely afforded to protesting Russians. Last month, supporters of Alexei Navalny were met with an altogether different police reception, with more than 1,000 arrested, some of them violently.

The opposition leader, who was released from detention on Thursday, said authorities are determined to hide the repressive side of the system from foreign eyes. Writing on social media, Mr Navalny claimed that prison cells had even been given a make-over in advance of the tournament, with flatscreen TVs, in the expectation that the arrested would want to keep track of their team.

“Everything is painted, with new toilets instead of holes in the wall, new gates, and they feed you better than in restaurants now,” he wrote. “You get two choices, just like on the planes ... Tirimasu for desert, and imported non-alcoholic beer!”

The opposition leader said those looking to test authorities’ newfound good nature should hurry.