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As Smith performed at Moscow's Luzhniki
stadium, giant screens laid out on the pitch showed images of
soccer players and the colors of the Croatian and French flags -
the two teams who face each other in the final.
Smith was joined on stage by Nicky Jam, a U.S.-born singer with
Puerto Rican roots, and by Era Istrefi, a pop singer who
describes herself as Albanian Kosovar. Both artists had featured
with Smith on the "Live It Up" single.
In the final sequence of the ceremony, Russian opera singer Aida
Garifullina performed Russian folk song "Kalinka" accompanied by
bagpipes, a children's choir, and a percussion section.
That section featured a guest performer: Brazilian soccer star
and past World Cup winner Ronaldinho, who for a few bars of the
song hammered out the rhythm on an African drum.
The performances were a prelude to France and Croatia's players
taking to the pitch to begin their final match, in front of a
packed crowd at the 80,000-seat stadium.
(Reporting by Christian Lowe; Editing by Keith Weir)
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