St. Petersburg, June 24 - RIA Novosti. The Hermitage cat Achilles, who was chosen as the oracle of the Confederations Cup, predicted the victory of the Portuguese team in the match with New Zealand, Anna Kondratieva, veterinarian of the Hermitage cats, told RIA Novosti.
The football match between the national teams of Portugal and New Zealand will take place on Saturday at the stadium "St. Petersburg" at 18.00. If the islanders, who lost both matches in the tournament, have already lost their chances of reaching the semi-finals, then it is enough for the Portuguese (4 points) to draw. In a parallel meeting in Kazan, the national teams of Russia (3) and Mexico (4) will compete.
The oracle cat makes predictions in the Hermitage. Achilles must choose one of the two bowls of food, next to which are the team flags. To which bowl the cat fits, that team will be considered the winner. This time Achilles was offered to choose between the national teams of Portugal and New Zealand. In addition to food bowls, cat houses were also placed nearby.
“Two houses with the flags of the countries participating in the match were also placed in front of the cat, and Achilles confidently made a choice today for the first time, he climbed into the house with the flag of Portugal,” Kondratieva said.
Achilles the cat's first prediction came true: on June 17, before the game between Russia and New Zealand, he approached the bowl with the Russian flag, and in the evening of the same day our team defeated the New Zealanders with a score of 2:0. He made the next prediction on June 22 and predicted the victory of the Australian team over Cameroon, but the teams tied with a score of 1:1.
Earlier it was reported that among all the cats living in the Hermitage, the most stress-resistant and human-oriented cat, Achilles, was chosen. This is a one and a half year old snow-white cat who has been living in the Winter Palace since birth. Achilles lives with congenital deafness, which is probably why his intuition, curiosity and philanthropy are sharpened. Experts noted that the cat Achilles was chosen by the oracle due to his ability to choose, analyze, strange, unusual behavior, suggesting that he can guess something.
Hermitage cats trace their history back to the beginning of the 18th century, when Peter the Great settled a cat brought from Holland in the Winter Palace. Later, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna issued a "Decree on the deportation of cats to the court." Catherine the Great - the founder of the Hermitage - gave cats the status of guards of art galleries. The tradition of keeping cats in art galleries to protect them from rodents was broken only once, during the siege of Leningrad. After the end of the Great Patriotic War, the number of animals went to dozens, and a special service was organized in the museum to care for unusual "employees". Currently, about 50 cats and cats live in the museum cellars.
The cat's first prediction came true - he predicted the victory of the Russian team over New Zealand in the opening match of the tournament. The second time, he predicted an Australian victory over Cameroon, but the match ended in a draw.
Kondratieva noted that the cat's second prediction, made on June 22, was misinterpreted. "He did not enter the Australian house, but approached it and jumped over the structure," the veterinarian said. "It was interpreted as a prediction for a victory, and, apparently, with such unusual behavior, he hinted at a draw."
According to Kondratieva, the accuracy of predictions made by St. Petersburg cats for the Olympic Games in Sochi and the Eurovision Song Contest is 85-100%.
After completing his "football duties" Achilles will look for owners at charity exhibitions for the adoption of animals, which are held monthly by the city's Cat Museum and cat cafe "Republic of Cats". More than 20 people are already claiming the right to become the owners of Achilles, including the players participating in the Confederations Cup.
After two rounds, the Mexicans are in first place in Group A with four points. The Portuguese team has the same number of points, but they scored fewer goals. The Russian team has three points, the New Zealand team has none, it has lost the chance to get into the semi-finals.
Cats of the Hermitage
In recent years, the Hermitage cats have become one of the tourist brands of St. Petersburg, a series of souvenirs, literary works and even a special route around the city are dedicated to them.
According to museum legend, the first royal cat was brought to St. Petersburg by Peter the Great from Holland. His daughter, Empress Elizabeth, issued in 1745 the "Decree on the deportation of cats to the court", according to which a batch of rat-catchers was delivered to the Winter Palace from Kazan. From that moment began the history of cats in the Winter Palace. The status of museum guards was assigned to them by Catherine II after the establishment of the Hermitage in 1764. Today, 50-60 cats serve in the Hermitage, and their number is constantly regulated so that the animals do not fight for territory and are not distracted from their direct duties of protecting exhibits from mice. In 2015, the British media recognized the Hermitage cats as one of the most unusual sights in the world.
On Saturday, June 17, St. Petersburg will host the opening match Confederations Cup - 2017. One of the teams that will play at the "international premiere" of the new stadium and, in fact, at the dress rehearsal of the future World Cup, will be the Russian team.
When and where will the opening match of the Confederations Cup - 2017 take place
The first match of the Confederations Cup, which is taking place for the eighth time and hosted by Russia in 2017, will take place June 17. The start of the game is 18.00 .
national team rival Russia there will be a national team New Zealand. This is the first ever meeting between Russian and New Zealand football players. The game will take place at the newly built stadium on Krestovsky Island, which was officially named St. Petersburg Stadium.
Putin in Petersburg
The opening match of the Confederations Cup between the national teams of Russia and New Zealand, which will be held at the St. Petersburg stadium, will be visited by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. This was announced by the official representative of the Kremlin Dmitry Peskov.
What did the deaf oracle cat Achilles predict?
The day before the game between Russia and New Zealand, the floor was given to the official oracle of the Confederations Cup - a stress-resistant and intelligent cat Achilles, one of the famous Hermitage cats. Achilles the cat predicted the victory of the Russian team in the match against New Zealand, a correspondent reported from the scene.
Achilles makes his predictions in one of the most charming corners of the Hermitage - in the hanging garden. The tailed oracle must choose one of two bowls of food that are placed on the windowsill for him, and next to which the flags of the teams participating in the next match are placed.
Achilles quite confidently approached the bowl with the Russian flag and began to meow, which was interpreted as a good omen for our team for the next game. The bookmakers also agree with the predictor, according to which the Russian team is the favorite in this match.
Achilles is deaf by nature, he is kind, smart and has good intuition, but is a little shy, so after the end of the Confederations Cup, the cat will move from the Hermitage to a loving family, which he is now looking for.
Other important news about the Confederations Cup - 2017
Confederations Cup - 2017 will be held with June 17 to July 2 in four Russian cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan and Sochi. Thousands of fans from different countries have already arrived at the competition.
Visa-free entry and free travel
All fans who have already arrived and continue to arrive in Russia for the Confederations Cup can enter our country without a visa. Visa-free entry to Russia will also be available for ticket holders for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
All holders of Confederations Cup tickets will receive a special fan book, which, among other bonuses, entitles them to free rail travel between the cities where the matches of the tournament will take place.
Who participates in the Confederations Cup - 2017
Participating in the Confederations Cup: Russia, Germany, Portugal, Chile, Mexico, Cameroon, Australia and New Zealand.
Which of the stars participates in the Confederations Cup - 2017
To name just a few: Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva and Pepe from Portugal; Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Bravo representing Chile; Julian Draxler and Joshua Kimmich who will play for reigning world champion Germany; Fedor Smolov who will try to defend the football honor of Russia.
When and where will the Confederations Cup group stage games take place?
June 18 18.00. Portugal - Mexico. Kazan. Stadium "Kazan Arena"; 21.00. Cameroon - Chile. Moscow. Spartak Stadium.
June 21 18.00. Russia - Portugal. Moscow. Stadium "Spartak"; 21.00. Mexico - New Zealand. Sochi. Fisht Stadium.
June 22 18.00. Cameroon - Australia. Petersburg. Stadium "St. Petersburg"; 21.00. Germany - Chile. Kazan. Stadium "Kazan Arena".
June 24 18.00. Mexico - Russia. Kazan. Stadium "Kazan Arena"; 18.00. New Zealand - Portugal. Petersburg. Stadium "St. Petersburg".
June 25 18.00. Chile - Australia. Moscow. Stadium "Spartak"; 18.00. Germany - Cameroon. Sochi. Fisht Stadium.
Semi-finals and final of the Confederations Cup
July 2, 15.00. Match for third place. Moscow. Stadium "Spartak"; 21.00. The final. Petersburg. Stadium "St. Petersburg".
Where to watch matches involving Russia at the Confederations Cup
Opening match Confederations Cup will be shown by the TV channel Match TV. Broadcast starts at 5:30 pm.
First channel will show a colorful show of the opening ceremony. Online broadcast of the match will show Channel One website.
Match Russia - Portugal, which will be held on June 21 at 18.00 at the Spartak stadium in the capital, will show only First channel.
Match Mexico - Russia, which will be held on June 24 at 18.00 at the Kazan Arena stadium, will also show First channel. Then "Match TV" will show this game in recording.
All matches of the Confederations Cup will be shown by Match TV, the most interesting games will also be shown by Channel One live. All leading media outlets will conduct online text broadcast of the games, all the most up-to-date information about the tournament will be available on the website.
TV Confederations Cup Playoffs
The first semi-final of the Confederations Cup will show First channel, second - "Match TV". Broadcasts start on June 28 and 29 at 21.00.
Confederations Cup Final, which will be held on July 2 at 21.00 at the St. Petersburg stadium "St. Petersburg", will show First channel.
Other useful information about the Confederations Cup - 2017 read in Federal News Agency.
The football championship coming to an end was remembered not only by the bright moments of the matches, but also by unusual pre-start forecasts.
Fans made bets on the outcome of the match by listening to the opinions of animals, not football analysts.
"Live Kuban" analyzed all the forecasts of caudates and quadrupeds and made a rating of the most sensitive seers.
The first place in terms of accuracy of forecasts is occupied by the White Bear Nika.
An inhabitant of the Moscow Zoo made three correct predictions out of four at once. Her task was to determine the outcome of the group matches of the Cup, which took place over the weekend.
Portugal - New Zealand. The bear gave preference to the Portuguese and did not lose. The match ended with the score 4:0
Russia - Mexico. Nika again makes a correct prediction by choosing the Mexicans. Russia lost 2:1
Germany - Cameroon, the third correct prediction for the outcome of the meeting. Nika gave preference to the wards of Joachim Loew. Recall that the match ended with a score of 3:1 Germany-Cameroon.
Chile - Australia. Here the polar bear's instinct let her down a little. Nika bet on Australia, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Predictions were made in the most common way. Two bowls of food were placed in front of the bear. Each bowl was decorated with the flags of the participating teams.
The second place of honor is occupied by the Hermitage cat Achilles.
The cat living in the St. Petersburg Hermitage is not an ordinary animal. The snow-white, slightly deaf pet of the employees of one of the largest museums in Russia and the world overnight became perhaps the most popular exhibit of the gallery.
According to the museum staff, the character of a one and a half year old cat is very suitable for football. He showed up for a meeting with journalists with a black eye. But, despite the fighting character, he still has a penchant for analysis.
As a result, Achilles has two correct predictions and one controversial decision in his track record.
Russia - New Zealand. Achilles bet on the victory of Russia on June 17 and did not lose. Recall that the final score then amounted to 2:0 (Russia - New Zealand).
Portugal - New Zealand. This bet also played flawlessly. On June 24, 2017, Achilles predicted the victory of the national team. Recall that the Portuguese defeated the New Zealanders with a score of 4:0.
However, one prediction of Achilles has caused much controversy. The cat predicted the victory of the Australian team in the match against the Cameroon national team. The game itself was held on June 22 at the St. Petersburg stadium. The Australians then managed to get away from the defeat of the stronger Cameroon team. The final score is 1:1.
According to the defenders of Achilles, the cat's bet can be counted, since the Cameroon national team is much stronger than the Australians and a draw can be perceived as a victory for the Australians.
How did the predictions go?
Two bowls of treats were placed in front of the cat, behind which were the flags of the participating teams of the Confederations Cup. The cat chose one of them, thereby placing a bet on one of the teams.
Third place. The Sochi male Harry turned out to be the most unconvincing soothsayer.
The inhabitant of the Sochi aquarium, the male otter Harry previously became famous during the days of the 2014 Olympic Games.
This time, unfortunately for the fans of Cameroon, his bet on the team's victory did not work. On June 25, Harry bet on a draw between Germany and Cameroon. Harry was sure that the football game would end in a draw, but he miscalculated. The otter had to choose one of two plastic rings thrown into the aquarium. Harry brought two items to the aquarium employee at once, thereby placing a bet on a draw. Recall that the match ended with the victory of Germany.
Another famous oracle lives in Sochi. Today, June 28, local and federal media will be riveted to his choice.
It's Wanda the Dolphin she is 10 years old. Wanda was born in Gelendzhik, then moved to the Sochi Dolphinarium.
The bottlenose dolphin will make its predictions within the framework of the Confederations Cup. Wanda will decide the fate of the Cup semi-finalists.
Recall that the semi-final pairs of the Confederations Cup were determined the day before. Today, the Kazan Arena stadium will host the first semi-final match between Portugal and Chile. The game will take place at 21:00 Moscow time. Tomorrow, June 29, the national teams of Germany and Mexico will meet at the Fisht Stadium in Sochi.
Wanda will be offered two soccer balls with inscriptions of the rival countries. Dolphin chooses one and "brings" it in the trainer's teeth.
Achilles predicted the results of four matches of the Confederations Cup, which were held in St. Petersburg
SAINT PETERSBURG, 6 July. /TASS/. The State Hermitage Museum refused to give its cat, football predictor Achilles, to a new owner. A year later, Achilles will predict the results of the 2018 World Cup matches, Andrey Mushkarev, representatives of the museum and Chairman of the St. Petersburg Tourism Development Committee, told reporters on Thursday.
"The cat really turned out to be a soothsayer, he guessed almost all the matches. We hope that next year he will not let us down either. Over the year we will prepare even better, we will organize his promotion in social networks," Mushkarev said.
The white Hermitage cat Achilles predicted the results of four matches of the Confederations Cup that took place in St. Petersburg, including the opening and final matches. Achilles predicted the victory of the Russian team over the New Zealand team in the opening match, the second prediction did not come true - he predicted that the Australian team would beat the Cameroonians, but the teams tied. The organizers of the predictions noted that, most likely, this was an error in the interpretation of his behavior, besides, the "draw" option was not provided in the scenario. In the third match, Achilles guessed that the Portuguese would beat the New Zealanders, and in the final he correctly predicted the victory of the German team over the Chileans.
As Mushkarev noted, the predictor cat became very popular in the media, and in the foreign press, especially in Latin America, there were more publications about him than in the Russian one. In his opinion, from the point of view of promoting the city and developing tourism, this is a very good project.
“We are grateful to the Hermitage for responding to this initiative. We understand that this is a joke, but we analyzed what foreign journalists wrote about the Achilles cat. More than 50 million people watched stories about him, this is a great success. Next year The audience will be many times larger," he said.
How the oracle was chosen
The choice of the oracle cat was not accidental. As Maria Khaltunen, a senior researcher at the Hermitage and spokesperson for the Hermitage cats, said, three candidates were being studied - in addition to a white cat, a ginger cat and a black cat were also considered. The choice fell on Achilles, because "he showed the ability to choose, analyze, unusual behavior."
Another feature of the cat is called its deafness. According to representatives of the museum, this does not prevent Achilles from entering a full life in the basements of the Hermitage - he hunts and fights with relatives. In confirmation of this, he first appeared in public with a black eye, which soon healed. As expected, deafness should have served Achilles well during divination sessions, because it allows him not to be distracted by extraneous sounds and to be less worried about them.
Achilles was born in the Hermitage, he is a descendant of the president of the Hermitage cats - the snow-white Vallin Delamotte and one of the most famous museum cats, Luna Smetankina. It was planned that after the completion of "football duties" Achilles would look for owners at charity exhibitions for the adoption of animals, which are held monthly by the city's Cat Museum and the "Republic of Cats" cat cafe. 37 people, including football players participating in the Confederations Cup, claimed the right to become the owners of Achilles, but the museum decided to continue to take care of it itself.
According to representatives of the Hermitage, in the coming year the cat will undergo special courses that will help him feel more confident in public, and will also perform social tasks - visit children's medical institutions to please their patients.
Cats of the Hermitage
In recent years, the Hermitage cats have become one of the tourist brands of St. Petersburg, a series of souvenirs, literary works and even a special route around the city are dedicated to them.
According to museum legend, the first royal cat was brought to St. Petersburg by Peter the Great from Holland. His daughter, Empress Elizabeth, issued in 1745 the "Decree on the deportation of cats to the court", according to which a batch of rat-catchers was delivered to the Winter Palace from Kazan. From that moment began the history of cats in the Winter Palace.