ASTANA: Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov made it back to Earth on Sunday along with an official match football that could be used later this month in the opening game of the World Cup in Moscow.

Shkaplerov, Scott Tingle of the United States and Norishige Kanai of Japan touched down on the Kazakh steppe after a 168-day mission aboard the International Space Station.

Footage from the Russian space agency Roscosmos showed the Soyuz descent module carrying the three touch down as recovery helicopters circled over the landing site.

Shkaplerov was out of the capsule first and was pictured munching grapes as the support crew tended to him ahead of his journey back to Moscow.

“We are a bit tired but happy with what we have accomplished and happy to be back on Earth. We are glad the weather is sunny,” said Shkaplerov in footage broadcast from the landing site.

Tingle came out next, to whoops and cheers, followed by Kanai.

Both Kanai and Tingle are now bound for Houston via the Kazakh city of Karaganda where they will undergo further medical tests to complete their mission.

Roscosmos posted on Thursday a video of Shkaplerov and fellow cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev practicing in the ISS with an Adidas Telstar 18 football.

Russian news agency TASS reported that the ball is planned to be used during the opening game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Moscow on June 14, although FIFA has not confirmed that information.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2018