Russian football match starts with the Queen's anthem blunder
The third-round match of the Russian Premier League at the Spartak Moscow stadium will be remembered not for the result but for a unique mishap. Before kick-off, the Russian national anthem was supposed to play, but a song by Queen came on instead. The final success only came on the third attempt.
Russia's top football league's domestic competitions are going strong. Even though local club footballers can't participate in European cups, their league matchups generate significant media attention. The organizers of Spartak Moscow matches ensured this situation caught everyone's eye.
In the third round, the Moscow team faced Krylia Sovetov Samara in front of a home crowd. It is a tradition, almost an obligation, to play the Russian national anthem before every Russian Premier League match. The organizers attempted to uphold this tradition, but they failed this time.
Players from both teams lined up on the field to listen to the national anthem together, but what blared out from the speakers was... Queen's "We Are the Champions". After a moment, they turned off the song, but the mishap wasn’t over. On the second attempt, they played the club anthem instead of the national anthem. Only on the third attempt did they finally play the correct anthem.
Blunder by the Russian club. Instead of the national anthem, they played a hit by Queen
Right after the anthem finished, the match started. Spartak's team was superior from the outset, winning 3-0 with two goals from Manfred Ugalde and one from Daniil Prutsev.
In the first three matches of the new Russian Premier League season, Spartak Moscow secured two wins and one loss. They currently hold fifth place in the standings. Their next match is scheduled for August 11 at 2:00 PM ET against Akhmat Grozny.
