The match, which came to fruition with the help of the Russian Football Council and the Fans Embassy of Russia, was played out a few hours prior to the official meeting, with the home fans coming out on top 6-1.
"After the Kemerovo tragedy, it took us a long time to make a decision on this friendly," said one of the organizers according to Gazeta.ru. "Not to mention the recent terrorist attack in France. But for us it's not about the reasons or who to blame. We just wanted to honor the victims with an honest game."
Болельщики сборных России и Франции провели встречу в ДСИ Зенит в память о жертвах трагедии в Кемерове и теракта в Требе. pic.twitter.com/kYf6tj3DHD
— Антон Рассказов (@RougeTerreur) March 27, 2018
The fire at the "Winter Cherry" shopping mall in Kemerovo broke out on March 25 and claimed 64 lives, most of them children.