By Coen Lammers in St Petersburg
Opinion - The Saint Petersburg and Luzhniki Stadiums may feel just a little odd this week, when the four remaining teams play off for a place in the World Cup final, writes Coen Lammers.
Russia's Aleksandr Erokhin during the quarter final between Russia and Croatia. Photo: Photosport
With Russia's dream run finally coming to an end from the penalty spot in Sochi, it seems the tournament has lost a bit of its spark.
The locals have been completely absorbed in the World Cup thanks to the unexpected heroics of the men in red, but they all woke up Sunday morning up with a massive hangover, in more than one way.
"If we lose, we will drink a lot," young Alex predicted during the tense quarter-final against Croatia. "But if we win, we will drink even more. It's just the Russian way."
While police and soldiers patrolled the streets in huge numbers to deal with any drunken aggression, most fans stared at the television in disbelief.
A few minutes after the final kick, they grabbed their phones and staggered into the streets.
Wiping away their tears, thousands of supporters stumbled home in what looked like an apocalyptic scene from The Walking Dead series.
The ROS-SI-YA ROS-SI-YA chants have gone quiet, but what will replace them?
There are only small numbers of Croatian, English, Belgian and French fans in Russia.
FIFA has put out an SOS call, urging others to pack their bags and buy the match tickets, flights and hotel rooms that are available.
Strangely enough, the dominant colour in St Petersburg on Sunday was the canary yellow of Brazil.
Thousands of Seleção fans are in St Petersburg, having booked their tickets anticipating their team would end up in the first semi-final.
They are the last remnants of the South American fan invasion in Russia but with Brazil and Uruguay now on a plane home, the event has become a Euro play-off.
"The World Cup just got a bit cooler, like the countries that are left," said one Brazilian fan who can now can join the mourning Russians in a virtual football wake.
Neymar of Brazil in deep thought after Brazil lost 1-2 to Belgium. Photo: Photosport
The semi-final in St Petersburg will pit the two remaining favourites for the World Cup against each other in what many describe as the de-facto final.
France have been given 2 to 1 odds by the bookmakers after winning their quarter-final against Uruguay with relative ease, hardly breaking into a sweat.
Their solid backline is anchored by Real Madrid's Raphaël Varane and Barcelona's Samuel Umtiti but it has not been tested by the calibre of Belgium's Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Dries Mertens.
The midfield battle will also be intriguing as Manchester United team-mates Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini will use their massive frames to create physical dominance in the centre of the field.
That will just be one of the many mate-vs-mate scenarios on the field as players of both countries are also club-mates at Chelsea, Barcelona, Tottenham, Paris Saint Germain, AS Monaco and Manchester City.
France may be the bookies favourite but Belgium is a close second at 3 to 1, just ahead of England at 4 to 1.
After their comeback against Japan and having beaten the mighty Brazil, Roberto Martinez' men will feel unbeatable.
However, English fans will also feel confident in bringing the trophy home - as they keep singing - after a solid, yet workman-like win over a tricky Swedish opponent.
England may not have the creativity of Croatia's Luka Modric and Ivan Rakatic but are living by the Crusaders credo that a champion team will always beat a team of champions.
They have already exceeded their own expectations and with super striker Harry Kane overdue a goal, their improbable journey may just lead to Monday's final.
The Croatians have plenty of big-game experience, individual X-factor players and a hardy dose of Balkan grit and fire to straighten their backs for one more epic night in the Luzhniki stadium.
The semi-final will be the single most important match in these players' careers.
With the World Cup final potentially only a game away, nobody wants to fall at this penultimate hurdle.
Much of the outcome will not depend on which players will play the game of their lives, but which will play to their normal standards.
Major matches are very rarely won by a play of brilliance, but are often decided by individual errors.
The teams that keep their cool, carry out their game plan and avoid any famous howlers will earn a ticket to next Monday's big showdown.
* Coen Lammers is RNZ's correspondent at the FIFA World Cup, online and on air. Russia 2018 is Coen's fifth World Cup.
