![]() ![]() It seems extraordinary, given their club exploits, but neither Ronaldo nor Messi has ever scored in a World Cup knockout match. Ronaldo's hat-trick against Spain was electrifying but also a false dawn, while Messi could not carry a reeling Argentina team who started with a different formation in all four of their games as they searched in vain for a functional combination. We went into 2018 wondering which of Ronaldo or Lionel Messi would finally dominate a World Cup. Previous World Cup wins by semi-finalists The Germans managed to be both uninspiring and particularly unlucky, their total of 72 shots surpassed by only five teams in the tournament, four of whom played four more games than Joachim Low's team.Īt least Manuel Neuer ended the tournament as the only goalkeeper to make two dribbles, including one particularly unsuccessful one in the opposition half against South Korea. If too many big sides exit early it can make the conclusion of the tournament a bit underwhelming (see: World Cup 2002) but no-one wants to see all the favourites cruise through to the latter stages untroubled.Īs it was, reigning champions Germany going out in the group stage, and then Spain, Argentina and Brazil stumbling in the knockout stage was just about right. Late goals are the football equivalent of snapping that bit of plastic off an old cassette tape to prevent it being recorded over. ![]() Overall there were nine winning goals (plus four defeat-avoiding equalisers) scored in the last minute or injury time of games, more than any previous edition of the World Cup and just one fewer than the five tournaments from 1998-2014 combined. Cristiano Ronaldo's late free-kick to ensure Portugal took a point capped a day of drama, with winning goals for Uruguay against Egypt in the 89th minute and Iran against Morocco in the 95th. 2018 did not disappoint, with the 3-3 draw between Spain and Portugal on day two immediately, and rightly, adopted as a tournament classic. It needs short, sharp hits of drama from the very start. Unlike a league season, the World Cup does not have the time for a slow-burning narrative to take shape. There are, it seems, certain obligatory ingredients to a memorable World Cup, so let's see how 2018 really measured up: There needs to be drama In a football world of plenty, the relative infrequency of World Cups - held only every four years - means the tournament retains a fascination and cultural heft that easily outweighs the now technically superior club game. The group stage, the knockout stage, even the final - so often a cagey procession to extra time in recent World Cups - delivered what they needed to. Because from the moment hosts Russia smashed five goals past Saudi Arabia in the opening game, there was barely any let-up in drama and excitement. ![]()
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