Learn Hardcore Russian: Хотя матч был долгим, фанаты радостно пели на стадионе до ночи. - Although the match was long, the fans happily sang at the stadium until night.

Хотя introduces a concessive clause, similar to English although or even though. It sets up a contrast where the second part happens despite the first part. Но just means but and typically connects two main clauses without this strong sense of concession. You could say Матч был долгим, но фанаты радостно пели…, but Хотя матч был долгим, … sounds closer to Although the match was long, … and makes the contrast stronger and more explicit.

Why do we say матч был долгим and not матч долгий?

In past tense, Russian almost always uses был / была / было / были to say that something was something. Матч долгий without был sounds incomplete in the past; it would normally be used only in present or as a fragment (for example, in headlines or very colloquial speech). So матч был долгим is the normal full-sentence way to say the match was long.

Why is it долгим (instrumental) and not долгий (nominative) after был?

After быть, Russian can use either the nominative (матч был долгий) or the instrumental (матч был долгим). With adjectives, the instrumental is very common and often feels more neutral or more descriptive of a temporary state or evaluation. In this sentence, матч был долгим is the most natural form, and матч был долгий is possible but sounds a bit more colloquial or emphatic.

What is the nuance of фанаты here? Could we use болельщики instead?

Фанаты are fans in the sense of supporters, enthusiasts, often with a slightly stronger emotional or subcultural flavor (like English fans of a band or team). Болельщики are specifically sports supporters, people who cheer for a team. In a sports context, both work; болельщики is a bit more neutral and explicit about sports, while фанаты may sound more general or slightly more colloquial.

How is the adverb радостно formed, and what is the difference from радостные фанаты пели?

Радостно is an adverb formed from the adjective радостный (joyful) by replacing -ый with -о, a common pattern: быстрый → быстро, громкий → громко.
Фанаты радостно пели focuses on how they sang (they sang in a joyful manner).
Радостные фанаты пели describes the fans themselves as joyful, with less direct focus on the manner of singing; it is more like joyful fans were singing.

Why is the verb пели imperfective? Could we say спели instead?

Пели (from петь) is imperfective and presents the singing as a process or ongoing activity during that time; it matches the idea that they were singing for a long period until night.
Спели (perfective) would usually refer to finishing the action (they sang something to completion), like they finished singing (one song / some songs). In this context, спели до ночи would sound strange, because the focus is not on completing one action but on continuous singing over time.

Why is it на стадионе and not в стадионе?

With stadiums and many public venues (e.g., на стадионе, на концерте, на митинге), Russian usually uses на plus the prepositional case to mean at the stadium, at the concert, etc. В стадионе would literally mean inside the physical structure of the stadium and is rarely used; на стадионе is the standard way to say they were there attending the event.

What does до ночи mean exactly, and why is ночи in the genitive?

До ночи means until night or up to nightfall, implying they sang until it became night. After the preposition до (until, up to), Russian normally uses the genitive case, so ночь (nominative) becomes ночи (genitive singular). So the phrase literally is until (of) night in Russian grammar terms.

Can we put the clauses in the opposite order, like Фанаты радостно пели…, хотя матч был долгим?

Yes, that word order is possible: Фанаты радостно пели на стадионе до ночи, хотя матч был долгим. The meaning is the same; Russian allows both orders. Starting with Хотя матч был долгим,… slightly emphasizes the difficulty or length of the match first, then contrasts it with the fans’ behavior; putting it second emphasizes what the fans did, then adds the contrast as an afterthought.

Why is there a comma after долгим?

Because Хотя матч был долгим is a subordinate clause, and фанаты радостно пели на стадионе до ночи is the main clause. In Russian, a subordinate clause introduced by хотя is separated from the main clause by a comma, regardless of which one comes first. The structure is: [Хотя + subordinate clause], [main clause].

How does the stress and pronunciation work for фанаты пели?

In фанаты, the stress is on the second syllable: фа́‑на‑ты.
In пели, the stress is on the first syllable: пе́‑ли.
So together: фанАты рА́достно пЕли (main stresses on фана́, ра́ in радостно, and пе́ in пели).