Dark horses, underdogs had World Cup moments
Parity and lack of blowouts a highlight of competition, says Bob Lenarduzzi.
France won the World Cup in a match that was eventful and entertaining, though not exactly a classic.
Croatia played very well, and the score line flattered France, but at the end of the day the French attackers were better opportunists.
It was unfortunate that a video replay decision played such a prominent role in deciding the course of the game. I don’t think the handball was deliberate, and it definitely wasn’t a “clear and obvious” penalty, which is the criteria that’s supposed to be applied. The video assistant referee should have let it pass.
VAR has its critics, and some predicted it would lead to chaos at this World Cup, with referees from around the world using the system for the very first time.
I think it’s worked out well though and video technology is definitely the way forward. It’s only going to improve as implementations get better. And it did result in more goals, with a record 29 penalty kicks awarded at this World Cup.
The final also saw the 12th own goal of the tournament as Mario Mandzukic headed one past his own keeper. That doubled the previous record, and is more than the last three World Cups. I don’t think there’s any reason for it, just a fluke run of misfortune.
A disappointed Luka Modric, who always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, deservedly earned the Golden Ball award as player of the tournament.
Kylian Mbappe was awarded Best Young Player, as he became the first teenager to score in a final since Pele.
He has a tremendous future ahead of him.
Belgium’s Thibault Courtois picked up the Golden Glove for his safe hands throughout the tournament.
Of course Harry Kane claimed the Golden Boot as top scorer, getting most of his goals early on in the group stage.
Overall it was a great tournament. The big disappointment for me was the South American teams. They came with promise, but generally didn’t live up to expectations. Add in the diving and theatrics and the complaints about biased refereeing, and South America really didn’t make a great impression.
One thing I did appreciate was the overall parity. There weren’t a lot of blowouts, and the dark horses and underdogs got to shine. Back in 1998, many people moaned when the World Cup went from 24 teams to 32, saying it would dilute the competition. I think it’s been great. I love to see all the different teams, and the wealth being shared.
And I’m looking forward to 2026 when it expands to 48 teams, with Canada as one of the hosts.
Before then is Qatar 2022, and I think Canada has a great chance to qualify. We’ve got a good group of players and with John Herd man in charge we have a coach who knows how to get the best out of them.