"I would like to say a sincere thank you to everyone who took part in preparing and hosting this large-scale sporting event... It was indeed a difficult job but I would like to reiterate that, in my opinion, it was done with flying colors," Medvedev said at a meeting with his deputies.

Russia's first-ever World Cup came to a close on Sunday, with France beating Croatia 4-2 in Moscow to lift the trophy for the second time.