World Cup Bread: WATCH Russians Give Portuguese Footballers Hearty Welcome

Forward Cristiano Ronaldo helped himself to Russian karavai, a large round loaf of bread symbolizing hospitality, after the Portuguese national team had arrived in Russia. The 2006 champions will be based in Kratovo in the Moscow region, during this year’s World Cup.

After a photo shoot, Portuguese sportsmen were approached by a Russian woman wearing a national outfit and to the sounds of a widely known Russian song invited them to try Russian karavai. The team’s key player, Ronaldo, was among the first to taste the bread, having seasoned it with a bit of salt.

At the 2018 World Cup, which is soon to kick off in Russia, the Portuguese will play in Group B, set to compete with Spain (June 15), Morocco (June 20) and Iran (June 25).

Matches are scheduled to be played all the way through July 15 at 12 stadiums across 11 cities, namely Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Saransk, Rostov-on-Don, Yekaterinburg and Sochi. 

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Over 2.5 million World Cup tickets have been purchased since sales kicked off in September 2017. Any outstanding tickets will be available on the FIFA website until July 15.