Did we miss Italy or Holland? Not a jot. From the first
night, when Russia’s much-maligned side smashed five against Saudi Arabia, to
the six-goal finale, there was so much to enjoy. At home, participation in the
global FIFA Fantasy league added an extra dimension. Amidst all the action
there were many brow-furrowing hours spent contemplating transfers, captaincy
selections, balancing the huge stars like Messi, Modric and Hazard with the
less familiar names from Egypt, Colombia, Poland, etc. But really it was about
the football!
The thrilling Iberian derby on day two left us licking our
lips in anticipation of further riches. Against Portugal, Spain seemed to have done enough before
Cristiano Ronaldo produced a trademark free-kick in the 88th minute
to complete his own hat-trick and a three-all draw. However, European
champions Portugal were surprisingly weak and not even CR7 could haul them into
the last eight. Apart from one sublime goal which only he could score, the
other giant of the game, Lionel Messi, was also a subdued figure. His
lacklustre, ageing Argentina side were awful against Croatia and they, too, bowed out
in the second round.
The reigning champions Germany were also woefully off-form
and were sensationally eliminated in Group F after losing to Mexico (an excellent match) and South Korea.
Meanwhile, the Germans’ 2014 bunnies Brazil had bounced back to their best in qualification
and apart from a 1-1 draw with the Swiss, were looking ominously good. Coutinho
provided some magic but I’m afraid their flamboyant forward Neymar will be
remembered only for his pathetic diving and play-acting. His 10,000 volt jerks
against Mexico will – sadly – live long in the memory. I missed Brazil’s quarter-final
elimination at the hands of Belgium – attending India v England cricket at
Cardiff – but, for all Neymar’s undoubted skills, I didn’t miss the preening
prima donna at all in the final week.
Belgium had been rather fortunate themselves to meet Brazil.
In their Round 2 fixture against Japan, I was enthralled by an
amazing second half in which their unfancied opponents soon went two-up. With under half an hour
left, Belgium seemed down and out yet ended up 3-2 winners after a fabulous
injury time breakaway finished by Chadli. Phew!
Spain were also chock-full of household names, from De Gea
to Iniesta, Pique to Busquets, Isco to Ramos. But, faced with the host nation
and their fervent fans in the Round of 16, the superstars were surprisingly tamed.
Penalties decided the matter and Russia advanced. It seems unthinkable that we
will probably never again see many of these great players on the global stage.
Like Russia, Nobody had given England’s new-look side much
chance of reaching the knockouts let alone challenging for the Cup itself. Only
two of their wretched 2014 Eleven – Henderson and Sterling – were in the first-choice
starting line-up. However, while Harry Kane was falling over and banging in the
penalties, and Stones and Maguire were leading the defensive line, optimism
built steadily. England slammed an unprecedented six past Panama and found
themselves with a relatively simple path to the semis via Colombia (and a
successful penalty shoot-out!) and Sweden. Suddenly, that refrain of “Football’s
coming home” was everywhere. Massed streaming even sent The Lightning Seeds’ masterpiece
of hope over expectation, ‘Three Lions’, back to number one in the charts after
twenty-two years. Manager Gareth Southgate’s elegant waistcoat transformed fan
fashion and even Kyle Walker proved popular.
In the semi-final versus Croatia at the Luzhniki Stadium,
Kieran Trippier’s fifth minute free-kick sent the fan-zones delirious under a
fountain of beer, but Luka Modric and his mates weren’t giving up. After the
interval, Croatia clawed their way back into the game. Their efforts were
rewarded when first the hard-working Perisic fashioned an equaliser, then
Mandzukic nipped in behind Stones for the winner.
And so the tournament reached its climax in Moscow. Not with
Brazil v England, as I had so naively predicted, but France v Croatia. On paper it appeared a delicious
final but showpiece games are notorious for their ability to disappoint. As in
so much of the 2018 World Cup, tradition was ripped up. With Modric pulling the
strings, Rakitic and Perisic running with purpose and the full-backs haring
down the flanks, Croatia ripped into the formidable French defence but couldn’t
break through. I was aghast that France went one-up following a Griezmann dive.
Perisic equalised then came another highly dubious penalty decision, this time
courtesy of the controversial Video Assistant Referees (VAR). I began to lose
interest when France widened the gap in the second half but had to admit a 4-2
World Cup Final is one to savour, whoever emerged the winner.
Like England, the redeveloped French team is remarkably
young. Didier Deschamps was widely derided for omitting stars such as Martial,
Lacazette and Payet but his squad delivered the goods. Their brilliant
full-backs Pavard and Hernandez are only 22, the outstanding centre-back Varane
is 25 and then of course there is the electrifying 19 year-old winger, Kylian
Mbappe. The old guard of Messi, Ronaldo, Iniesta, Modric, Suarez, Cavani, Hummels and Marcelo probably won’t be around in four years’ time but a new generation of galacticos are already in place.
After Russia, the 2022 tournament will be a different kettle of fish.
Located in the desert state of Qatar, dry as a bone but awash with cash for FIFA votes, it will
take place in the heart of the European football season to avoid the searing
summer heat. With the youthful players at their current disposal, France must
fancy their chances once more. But if 2018 showed us anything, it is that the
top nations can’t take anything for granted, even the champions. Four years is
a long time but I’ll have to be patient. Roll on the next World Cup!
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