After two and a half
hours of celebrations marking the opening of a renovated stadium in the capital
Grozny, a Russian Premier League Select XI beat an International XI 5-2. Local
team Terek Grozny, who are coached by Dutch great Ruud Gullit, will be using
the new venue for their home games in future. "We're glad that in Chechnya
highly modern structures like this stadium are being constructed," said
Terek's club President Kadyrov in a speech before the game.
"The republic
is being reborn, we are on the right path," added the 34-year-old as fans
cheered at the 30,000-capacity stadium which has been rebuilt at a cost of at
least seven billion rubles ($253.6 million). Kadyrov raised his arms to salute
the crowd as they chanted his name throughout the match.
Former Argentina coach
and captain Maradona scored one goal for the International XI which also
included his countryman Roberto Ayala and Uruguayan Enzo Francescoli.
