It seems a long, long time ago when Yuri Gazinskiy jumped to head home the first of five Russia goals against Saudi Arabia, in the World Cup’s opening match. The excitement and sense of possibility of the early stages transitioned to the nail-biting drama of the early knockout rounds, as the tournament tapered inevitably towards its final conclusion.

The biggest winners of this World Cup, aside from France who lifted the trophy at the Luzhniki Stadium, were the hosts.

The most widely heard chant at almost every game was that of the neutral locals, unimaginative yet emphatic: “Ros-si-ya”. The flag-waving and chanting was of a different order to that of recent years in Russia: it was joyous, unifying patriotism rather than the angry, reactionary jingoism of 2014 around the annexation of Crimea and the war in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin was a largely absent figure, restricting himself to appearances at the opening and final matches and at a short meeting in the Kremlin with footballers

I don’t care much for criticism, or praise, because this can influence your attitude Neymar

In the end, these have not been the Putin games, they have been the Russia games, showcasing a nation that has changed tremendously in the past two decades, and giving it a chance to put on a smiling and hospitable face that few outside its borders knew existed. The country took delight in its moment of glory, winning over the hearts of many travelling fans who had not expected the warmth of the welcome, the long nights of dancing and drinking, and the pleasant and historically fascinating host cities.

All roads led to Moscow, with almost all air, rail and road travel between the cities easiest through the capital. This meant Moscow became a fan hub, packed not only with fans awaiting games in the city but those stopping over for a day or two between the football. It was the World Cup of Google Translate and of Tinder, with thousands of friendships and relationships springing up between locals and fans.

It could have been an even bigger score. I was feeling scared in the second half Panama coach Hernan Dario Gomez

On the pitch, it has also been a World Cup to remember. The lack of a clear favourite made for a gloriously unpredictable tournament. Only Egypt and Panama lost all three of their group games, there were very few matches that were so one-sided as to lack all intrigue, and just a sole 0-0. The shock of the group stage was the German exit, particularly surprising after their at-the-death winner against Sweden appeared to have given them a predictably German escape route from the group.

Many nations had more positive stories, such as a Belgium team that dispatched Brazil in perhaps the match of the tournament, before falling to France. England, for the first time since 1990, made a semi-final, and briefly united the nation in the belief that it was “coming home”. It wasn’t, of course, but at least the realisation when it came felt less soul-destroying than at previous tournaments. Croatia’s appearance in the final was a truly extraordinary vindication of a “golden generation” that looked like it might never come good.

I couldn’t care less about the Ballon d’Or. I want the World Cup Kylian Mbappé

And then, again, there were the hosts, whose limited but spirited team made an inspirational run to the quarter-finals, seeing off Spain on penalties before falling in the same way to Croatia. “We achieved victory in the moral sense: the country was united, everyone was happy and full of joy,” said Stanislav Cherchesov, Russia’s coach.

The president called me before and after the Spain game. When he supports us, it makes us comfortable Stanislav Cherchesov

During the group stage, Moscow’s Nikolskaya Street fizzed with cosmopolitan energy, as fans from around the world gathered with locals in song, dance and drinking. And then, the fans started thinning out, especially as the well-supported South American teams headed for the exit. Peru, with the most glorious fans of all, were out after just two games, left to wonder what might have been had Christian Cueva scored rather than skied his penalty when they were 0-0 with Denmark in their opening game. Colombia’s massed ranks of yellow also left Russia after their team fell to that most unusual of things, an English penalty shootout win, while the vast hordes of Argentinians were left devastated by their 4-3 loss to France, powered by 19-year-old Kylian Mbappe, one of the tournament’s most impressive performers.

Some of other big names offered flashes of intrigue before fading away in the knockout stages: Cristiano Ronaldo’s stunning hat-trick in Portugal’s opening game against Spain and Lionel Messi’s impressive strike against France, but neither of their sides made it to the quarter finals. Neymar played with skill and grace, save the ridiculous play-acting, but could not prevent Brazil from losing to Belgium.

This tournament will be won by a team with character. We were 1-0 down in three games in a row Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic

The World Cup circus has now left town, with 64 matches played, billions of dollars of revenue accrued, and millions of cans of Fifa-approved Budweiser drunk around the stadiums. With the next World Cup in Qatar, Russia 2018 is likely to be remembered fondly for some time, providing a different picture of the country to many foreigners, and possibly changing the attitudes of many Russians to the outside world, as well.