National Post (National Edition)
World Cup filled with unpredictability
BETTER BALANCE AMONG TEAMS MADE FOR MEMORABLE TOURNAMENT IN RUSSIA
SO VAR, SO GOOD
The biggest talking point entering this World Cup didn’t concern a player or team or even the location of the tournament.
No, the biggest question ahead of Russia 2018 concerned the implementation of video assistant referees (VAR).
While some — Croatians, specifically — will argue the video review process ruined Sunday’s final, most agree VAR worked well at this tournament.
It wasn’t anywhere near as bad as many predicted, and added drama to an event once plagued by poor refereeing.
Referees got more calls right at this tournament and, in most cases, justice was served throughout.
Expect VAR’S use in more leagues and more major tournaments in the near future. The game needs it.
THE UPSETS CAPTIVATED US
The best advert for an expanded 48-team World Cup might be the amount of upsets that occurred during the group stage at this tournament.
There were at least 11 instances of a unanimous underdogs taking points off perceived superior sides.
For example, Russia topped Egypt before Iran and Morocco drew Portugal and Spain, respectively. Iceland survived Argentina before both Mexico and South Korea shocked Germany.
The most surprising result might have been Senegal dispatching Poland in what was a tournament to forget for at least one UEFA side.
Additionally, there were many instances of perceived minnows punching well above their weight in losing efforts.
THE ENDLESS SUPPLY OF DRAMA
Seventy-five per cent of teams at this tournament entered the final day of group stage play with a chance to advance to the knockout stages.
Looking back, the conclusions in Groups B, D, F and H were completely bonkers.
Iran was, perhaps, a Cristiano Ronaldo red card away from knocking out the defending European champs. Mehdi Taremi also squandered a sitter at the death that would have sunk Portugal.
Argentina was out of the World Cup until Marcos Rojo’s thundering volley sunk Nigeria with minutes remaining.
Germany was at the centre of everything in Group F, where the defending champs followed up a stunning defeat to Mexico with a lastgasp win over Sweden before eventually being stunned by South Korea.
Group H, you’ll recall, came down to yellow cards — a controversial tie-breaker that saw Senegal eliminated.
All that before the knockout stages saw four shootouts and Belgium come back from two goals down in eliminating Japan with a gamewinning goal in added-time.
THE HOSTS STARTED TO DREAM
The Russian team electrified a nation that wasn’t expecting much from a side that was agonizingly poor at the European Championship two years ago.
Their trouncing of Saudi Arabia before a demolition of Mo Salah’s Egypt had the people of this country believing.
The hosts navigated doping accusations en route to knocking off Spain for their biggest win in recent memory.
What’s more, Artem Dzyuba, Denis Cheryshev and Aleksandr Golovin became household names and could be on their way to bigger clubs.
I attended three matches involving Russia and watched a fourth with a collection of Russians in a Nizhny bar.
It’s always special when a host nation surpasses expectations.
SOCCER STILL ISN’T ‘HOME’
The fact England became something of a feel-good story at this World Cup was a positive for coach Gareth Southgate, who spent the lead up to this tournament downplaying his squad’s chances.
But I’m not convinced The Three Lions deserved the praise they received.
England was favoured to win the games it won and benefitted from a straightforward path to the semifinals, where they were outclassed by Croatia.
The Three Lions aren’t anywhere close to being a top five team in the world.
Are they even a top 10?
THE END OF TWO ERAS?
It’s difficult to imagine this tournament without Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
But given their age and the current state of both of their national teams, it’s entirely possible we’ll see neither at another World Cup.
French coach Didier Deschamps put it best postgame Sunday night when he suggested it’s impossible to win this tournament without a team.
He wasn’t talking about Messi or Ronaldo, but his words ring true for two of the best ever to play this game.
Messi and Ronaldo took their respective countries as far as they could.
NEYMAR’S PLAY-ACTING NOTICED
Brazilian star Neymar was supposed to be the heir apparent to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
He was supposed to guide the Selecao back to their rightful place atop the podium.
But instead of impressing viewers with his pace and ability to unbalance defenders, Neymar’s embellishment became a talking point after every game he played.
Neymar’s antics became a distraction to the point FIFA president Gianni Infantino was asked to weigh in.
Neymar’s reputation is tarnished beyond repair. A player with immense talent might be one of the most disliked footballers in the world.
THE RISE OF KYLIAN MBAPPÉ
The 19-year-old Frenchman is the most electrifying player in the world — a striker who combines the pace of Usain Bolt (literally) with the technical ability of Neymar and Ronaldo.
What’s more, Mbappé is something of a showman.
He makes things look effortless. The fact he’s doing it at 19 years old is insane.
The only weakness in his game might be his immaturity — something that will be corrected over time.
This game needed a player to get excited about following the imminent decline of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Mbappé already has a World Cup — something the aforementioned duo haven’t claimed.