Russia very often comes in for criticism but today Moscow is patting itself on the back for its successful organisation of the all-English Champions League final.

Police reported no significant problems with the more than 40,000 fans of Chelsea and Manchester United who made the journey to Moscow. Their softly-softly approach towards the visitors before the match, combined with an imposing security presence at the Luzhniki stadium, paid off.

Fans mingled happily on Red Square and enjoyed a relaxed atmosphere at the stadium despite the high drama unfolding on the pitch. And when it was all over, the organisation kicked in efficiently to get fans onto buses and back to the city's airports for their flights home in the early hours of the morning.

Despite the rings of police and OMON riot squads around the stadium, access into and out of the ground was smooth and largely free of queues. Rival fans were kept apart by lines of barriers and police as they left the stadium in pouring rain, though in truth Chelsea's supporters were too despondent to consider causing trouble and Manchester's were too busy celebrating.

Commentators on one Moscow radio station marvelled that police had been taught to be polite to their English guests, a far cry from the usual treatment meted out to demonstrators from Russia's political opposition.

Officers lining the entrance and exit routes from Luzhniki had apparently been taught to say "Mister, please.." as a way to breach the language barrier and attract fans' attention.

More than a few Russians noted ironically that, while their police were on a charm offensive and the streets of Moscow stayed calm, riot police were in action against unruly fans in west London.

The British embassy has grown used to clashing politically with Russian officials over the past 18 months, following the murder in London of former dissident spy Alexander Litvinenko and the dispute over the British Council. Today, there was an outbreak of football diplomacy.

"The security and logistical arrangements put in place by the Russian authorities have been first-rate, as has been their cooperation with their visiting counterparts from the UK," said James Barbour, the embassy's spokesman.

"The fans' behavior, both towards each other and towards their Russian hosts, has been a credit to their clubs; whilst we have seen reports of minor, isolated scuffles, both the fans and the police have ensured these have not developed into larger-scale problems."

Moscow's deputy mayor Valery Vinogradov said that the city had spent more than £15 million to prepare for the final. The public relations value of successfully staging Moscow's most important sporting event since the 1980 Olympics will be many times higher.