Russians beat Poles -- in Euro fan friendly

Russia beat Poland 8-7 on penalties on Tuesday -- in a friendly played by fans in Warsaw just hours before their role models were due to meet in their Euro 2012 tie in the Polish capital. In a goodwill gesture ahead of the Poland-Russia face off which some fear could be marred by hooligan violence, the fans played at a campsite in a northern district of the Polish capital at Tuesday noon. "We want to show that the fans of different countries can take each other on in a friendly manner, even if they are divided by history as much as the Poles and the Russians," Jacek Kaminski, a Polish co-organiser of the game, told AFP. "The game was meant to boost our morale, to motivate us before the evening game to throw in good support for the Russian team," added 30-year-old Mikhail Korzinkov hailing from Yekaterinburg in central Russia. Sporting encounters between Poland and Russia always have an extra edge due to antipathy spanning the Tsarist and Soviet eras, stoked by Moscow's resurgence under President Vladimir Putin. Thousands of Russian fans flocking to Warsaw were a cause for concern before the Group A game, in which Russia could secure a spot in the quarter-finals. After the opening games, Russia are leading the group with three points ahead of Poland and Greece with one point each. The Czech Republic, facing Greece on Tuesday, lie bottom with no points. Co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine the Euro 2012 championships are being held behind the former Iron Curtain for the first time. The games kicked off Friday in Warsaw ahead of the July 1 final in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.