• The 2018 World Cup kicked off on Thursday with the opening match between Russia and Saudi Arabia.
  • After Russia scored the first goal of the tournament, cameras captured President Vladimir Putin shrugging and shaking hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
  • Twitter was quick to react, imagining the possible conversations surrounding the handshake.

The 2018 World Cup kicked off on Thursday, with Russia beating Saudi Arabia, 5-0, in the opening match.

While the rest of the tournament is bound to feature iconic and memorable moments on the pitch, the lasting image from the opening game is likely to be Russian President Vladimir Putin’s shrug and consequent handshake with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after the first goal.

Twelve minutes into the match, the Saudi back line got caught out of place after a corner kick, leaving a wide-open opportunity for Russia’s Yury Gazinsky to score the first goal of the tournament.

The goal was a great start to the tournament for the host nation, but the moment that had everyone talking took place in the immediate aftermath, when cameras caught the interaction between the Russian president and the Saudi crown prince, starting with a shrug, followed by a sympathetic handshake.

Snapshot_20180614_120256

Foto: source Fox

Naturally, Twitter was quick to fire off jokes.

https://twitter.com/NutmegRadio/status/1007281184701845505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/justinbo25/status/1007290327126953984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

There's plenty of football left to be played before a winner is declared in Russia, but there's a chance that the most memorable image of the tournament has already been captured.