It was nearly midnight in St. Petersburg as fans headed back into the city from Russia's 3-1 win over Egypt, but the sky was still bright.
The World Cup's taking place during the "white nights", when the sun barely sets and it never gets completely dark. It's impossible to ignore in St. Petersburg, the northernmost host city, where white nights are associated with beauty, hedonism and even madness.
Around the longest day of the year on Thursday, it begins to get a little darker in St. Petersburg around 11 p.m., reaching a kind of inky-blue twilight after 1 a.m. Two hours later and it's light again. "I don't sleep at night. I just nap," said Egyptian fan Sam, who didn't give his surname.
It's caused problems for England player Dele Alli, whose team is based just outside St. Petersburg. "I woke up at three in the morning and I thought it was time to get up," he told British media. The team has installed blackout blinds to minimize disruption.
"It's impossible (to fall asleep) if you go to bed after it starts to get light again," computer programmer Bogdan Bovin said after Tuesday's game.
"If that happens, it's better just not to go try to sleep. You just have to walk around all night."
Those midnight wanderings have become a staple of Russian literature, such as in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's short story "White Nights."
"It's never too late to go out."