Armed with drums and vuvuzelas, a whoop of Iran fans (we think that’s the correct collective noun) gathered beneath Cristiano Ronaldo’s hotel window in Saransk on Sunday evening with the express intent of disrupting his night’s sleep.
The two sides are set to meet at the Mordovia Arena in a must-win encounter that could see either side secure their safe passage through from Group B and into the second round.
However, after tooting away in the carpark for a while, the Iranian cacophony was soon quelled when a ghostly silhouette appeared in the window above them and gave the internationally recognised hand gesture for “Please go away, I’m trying to sleep”.
Ronaldo foi à janela pedir aos iranianos para o deixarem dormir em paz 💤
🎥 @RTP1 pic.twitter.com/UtYxZBbJF3
— B24 🇵🇹 (@B24PT) June 24, 2018
The lighting, the sombre fragility of the central performance. Almost Hitchcockian.
What’s more, the plea must have worked, as Ronaldo followed with an appreciative thumbs-up gesture to the fans assembled below.
Quell them with kindness, as the old saying goes.