World Cup diary: Sad David de Gea rides the metro

There is no better way to learn about a city than by using its public transportation system, they say (maybe, probably not), and there is no better way to learn about a country than by visiting its grocery stores.

What, then, are we to make of the fact the grocery store I visited yesterday had a large crate of flip flops next to the produce aisle? What secrets might this reveal about the soul of the Russian people, about the elderly lady who asked me for advice about buying batteries?

(“English,” I said.

“Заткнись, идиот,” she said (maybe, probably not).)

What about the old, babushka’d ladies selling flowers outside the metro station next to my hotel, at all hours of the day and night? What do they know about this place, batteries, Cristiano Ronaldo free-kicks?

Notes From Underground turned out not to be about the Moscow metro, and Tolstoy never finished the sequel to War and Peace, Grocery Store and Peace, so perhaps we’ll never know. Is this an extended metaphor about the World Cup, a witty anecdote to get you, dear reader, in the mood for soccer? Not that I’m aware. But you’re in luck: The grocery store/metro section of this story is now over.

There are not, as far as I can tell, many Spain fans in Moscow, understandably so given Spain don’t play here during the group stage. And so it is with an extra tinge of sadness I report that one of the only five or six pieces of Spain-adjacent garb I saw all day was a Manchester United goalkeeping kit, worn by a boy of about 17 or 18 on the metro home from FIFA’s Fan Fest, David de Gea plastered sadly across his back.

The match itself, I would venture to suggest, was the best in a World Cup since 2006. Spain will be disappointed with the result after coming from behind twice to take the lead, not least because of the manner of Portugal’s first two goals, but there were moments — when David Silva, Isco and Andres Iniesta found themselves on the same few square yards of grass, when they ratcheted up the speed of their passing, waltzing around one another, giving and going and giving again — moments when Portugal looked mesmerized.

If you were high on Spain before the tournament, their opening game shouldn’t have caused you to change your mind, is what I’m saying. They looked vulnerable in transition, but they conceded some freak goals, they were resilient after going behind twice, Diego Costa played well and the technical superiority of their players is unrivaled by any team in the tournament except maybe Germany and Brazil.

Next: The best player on every team at the World Cup

The story of the day, however, was Cristiano Ronaldo, who in his fourth World Cup finally has his World Cup Moment. He received some help along the way, from his club teammate Nacho, who fouled him for his early penalty, and from his long-rumored future club teammate David de Gea, who let a routine shot slip through his legs.

The goals, though, were only part of the story. Over the past two seasons with Real Madrid, Ronaldo’s role has been refined to a point that he’s now expected to do almost literally nothing other than score goals, mostly in the penalty area, often with his first touch. He did much more on Friday, initiating several dangerous counter-attacks, driving at defenders with the ball and otherwise preening inspiringly in the direction of his lesser teammates.

The World Cup, it feels like, is finally underway.