This World Cup is different from any other
At the quarter-final stage, the tournament is at its glorious, unpredictable best
After nearly three weeks of high-octane excitement, the most unpredictable and thrilling World Cup in recent memory has arrived at the quarter final stage. Thirtytwo teams have been whittled down to eight. We are now only seven games away from discovering which country will earn international football’s most coveted prize in 2018. Five great, proud football nations will be missing in action in the quarter final in Russia. Italy and the Netherlands failed to make it to the tournament. Four-time champions Germany, two-time champions Argentina, and 2010 champion Spain have been knocked out already. One way of looking at what we are confronted with now is this: of the six pre-tournament favourites, three have been eliminated. Another way of viewing the same situation would be to realise that three of them (Brazil, France and Belgium) are very much in the reckoning.
Brazil are cranking up the gears, a wealth of attacking options flourishing on a platform of a parsimonious, disciplined defence. France, blessed with outrageous talent and counting among their number the gifted Kylian Mbappe, are looking formidable. Belgium, with three attackers capable of taking on any defence in the world, will be fancying their chances. But if we have these three big teams vying for the title, we also have Sweden, 250-1 outsiders before the tournament began. We have a young, swift, expressive England and the hosts, Russia, who, through bloodymindedness and home support somehow conspired to send Spain home. We have Croatia, who last won an international knockout game 10 years ago, and Uruguay, with the meanest of defences and two elite strikers, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. An established world power could win the title. Just as well, a so-called smaller team could lift the trophy. This is usually not the scenario at the quarter final stage. The fact that it is so is a tribute to the unpredictable, glorious nature of this edition.