MOSCOW — Alone among the thousands, Aleksandr Golovin stood still. On the field, his Russian teammates were careering toward him. On the sideline, his coaches were bouncing and ricocheting around.
In the stands, his fans, longstanding and newly acquired, had their arms aloft, punching the air, fluttering flags and flickering golden stars. In the executive boxes, even Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, ordinarily so impassive, twitched the corners of his mouth in what could, just about, be recognized as a smile.
