World Cup 2018: Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic lift Croatia´s late-night show

On the 2018 World Cup s longest day, the fan park where it never goes dark felt like the most appropriate place to watch the late kick-off.

St. Petersburg s big-screen bonanza resides in a picturesque city-center location, in the shadow of the beautiful Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. Croatia s 2-0 win over Nigeria was not quick to live up to the setting.

Following Iceland s latest precision slingshot to the eye of a footballing Goliath, fans from around the world rubbed shoulders and got into a party atmosphere reaching fever pitch as Peru laid fruitless siege to Denmark and Kasper Schmeichel s goal.

It had been a sun-soaked day spent aboard a giddying carousel of the best the international game had to offer, but Croatia and Nigeria got underway in Kali…