Sections N News S Sports O Opinion R Religion A Arts & Living M Must Reads Video Photography P Podcasts S Sponsored Legal Notices Obituaries Jobs Homes Sections Tuesday, April 17, 2018 Sign In Subscribe Account Sign Out Sign In Subscribe Account Sign Out facebook twitter email facebook twitter email By The Washington Post · Published: December 1, 2017 Updated: December 01, 2017 With the World Cup 6 1/2 months away, the eyes of the vast soccer society turned to Moscow for the Friday’s draw, which determined the eight first-round groups and set the path for the favorites to reach the final. Should it come as any surprise that, with President Vladimir Putin in attendance at the State Kremlin Palace, Russia enjoyed a soft landing? The tournament host – second-lowest ranked in the 32-nation field – dodged the other European entries and was paired with the lowest-ranked nation (Saudi Arabia), plus a country that qualified for the first time in 28 years (Egypt) and a strong Uruguay side. Russia and Uruguay are the clear favorites in Group A to advance to the round of 16. Putin, no doubt, is smiling. On the other side of the spectrum, Group F wins…