Well, this was just splendid.
Over time we have come to expect certain things from our commentators. They often describe teams and players using words such as "passion" and "heart", perhaps instead of discussing things such as tactics or formations. Unfortunately, they also tend to dumb things down a little bit, discussing very general subjects without going into too much detail.
As such, it was a breath of fresh air on Sunday when ITV's co-commentator Ally McCoist waxed lyrical about the city of Kazan, its religion, architecture, history and culture.
The conversation took place during the final game of the day, Colombia vs Poland, which kicked-off in the city at 7pm. Both teams were looking to bounce back from opening game defeats in their group but, for a moment at least, McCoist was interested in discussing what he had learned in the city, one which he admitted was his favourite during his time in Russia.
The topics discussed by the former Scotland striker included, in no particular order, the sacking of the city by Ivan the Terrible in 1552, the manner in which the city has rebuilt itself, the beauty of the city's mosques and how amazed the people living there hundreds of years ago would have felt if they witnessed the development that has made it what it is today.
If nothing else, it was just a treat to hear a commentator discuss a topic he clearly had an active interest, and if the social media response is anything to go by, plenty of people agreed.
https://twitter.com/gunnerpunner/status/1010953876038660096
https://twitter.com/mrdavidwhitley/status/1010954003604279296
https://twitter.com/1878Terry/status/1010953719415009280
https://twitter.com/pdmxciii/status/1010954087259664384
https://twitter.com/martin_oneill/status/1010954034897932288
https://twitter.com/DannyONeill1987/status/1010954232651010048
https://twitter.com/AlanJHutcheson/status/1010954044708413441
https://twitter.com/MacZidane/status/1010953936461860864
