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The spectacle of the trio who were picked out
by television cameras eating serenely as the country's nerves
frayed during the match against Spain propelled them to national
fame.
The fans, two men and a woman, have become a viral Internet
sensation and tributes have also spread offline thanks to
artists such as Aleks Melentyev - who has depicted them in a
graffiti mural on the side of a garage in south-east Moscow.
"They are so Russian! They had Spain flags on their cheeks but
it was so obvious they were Russians, very colorful people. I
liked them and I immediately decided to paint them," said the
35-year-old from the Siberian city of Omsk.
The mural shows them wearing their kokoshniki, a traditional
Russian headdress usually sported by women and girls.
Melentyev praised the TV cameraman who picked them out of the
crowd on Sunday. "He had 10 seconds on them, but I spent two
hours and (my work) is packed with emotions and positive
feelings," he told Reuters standing in front of the mural.
Expectations ahead of the World Cup were very low in Russia as
the national team had endured months of bad form. But the
country is now spellbound as their team has defied expectations,
cruising to the quarter finals.
On Sunday, the hosts drew 1-1 with Spain, but clinched the match
on penalties, winning a shootout 4-3.
"I hope that with these kinds of fans, we will win and go
further," Melentyev added.
Russia plays Croatia in the quarter final on Saturday.
(Reporting by Anastasia Adasheva; Writing by Tom Balmforth;
Editing by Andrew Heavens)
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