KAZAN: World Cup hopefuls Colombia pledged to honour the dream of 50 million home fans when they arrived in Russia to a small but enthusiastic reception.

The South Americans, led by forward stars Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez, start their Group ‘H’ campaign against Japan on June 19 in Saransk.

They will be based at Sviyazhsk, just outside the Tatarstan capital of Kazan, where around 50 flag-waving fans met them at the airport when they touched down at close to midnight.

“I think we have the best players in the World Cup, in the world,” said 26-year-old Nicolas, a student at the University of Kazan.

“Messi and Ronaldo are great players but we have an excellent team and in football you win as a team.” A bold message on the windows of the team bus read: “Here is one dream, three colours and 50 million hearts.”

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2018