Wednesday 1 August 2018


So the World Cup has been officially over for a couple of weeks now (sad face), and huge congratulations to the winners France, who beat Croatia 4-2 in an epic final in Russia. 

It truly has been an amazing summer of football, and whilst I look eagerly ahead towards the new Premier League season starting in a few weeks time (c'mon Arsenal!), I thought I'd do a little round-up of my highlights from the World Cup. Enjoy!


1. Big Teams, Big Defeats


Germany exit at the group stage for the first time in 80 years.


The drama of big sporting nations underperforming began even before a ball was kicked at this tournament, with World Cup stalwarts like Italy and Holland failing to even qualify. More giants however were to fall once the tournament actually kicked off.

In a qualifying group that included Sweden, Mexico and South Korea, previous World Cup winners Germany managed to finish bottom, in an abysmal defence of their title. With only 1 win and 2 defeats in their opening 3 matches, Germany's exit was the first time since 1938 that they had failed to advance beyond the first stage of the tournament.

Spain, notorious for their fluid and fast paced 'tiki-taka' styled football, also failed to impress in the tournament. After drawing a thrilling opening match with Portugal 3-3, the 2010 World Cup winners limped past Iran 1-0 and drew their remaining match with Morocco, only just scraping into the last 16. Despite their underwhelming performances however, it was still a major shock when they were knocked out of the tournament, beaten on penalties by the host nation Russia. That's probably because prior to the tournament Spain were ranked the 10 best team in the world, with Russia down in 70th place.


2. The Introduction of VAR

The VAR Room at the World Cup 2018

There was so much back and forth before the tournament as to whether Video Assistant Referee ('VAR') would be a help or a hindrance to the game. Advocates for VAR argued it would increase accuracy in the game and reduce controversy, whilst opponents maintained it would disrupt the fluidity of the game and undermine the actual referee's autonomy. In the end, bar a few controversial instances, VAR was definitely a rounding success. 

Introduced to review decisions such as goals, penalties and direct red cards, what started off as an unwelcome intruder to the game at the beginning of the tournament certainly became a family member by the end. VAR quickly became second nature, if shouting fans and pleading players drawing rectangles in the air were anything to go by. It makes you wonder how an Earth we managed to live without it for so long.


3. Penalties, Penalties, Penalties

France winners of World Cup 2018

One of the most immediate and direct results of VAR was the huge number of penalties awarded. In total, 29 were given, with 22 successful and 7 missed. 11 penalties were the result of VAR reviews. 16 of the 32 teams benefitted from the increase in penalties by scoring at least 1 goal, whilst it provided for endless entertainment for millions of fans worldwide (including myself!)


So there we have it! As the curtain closes on another World Cup for 4 years, I recall many pre-tournament fears and worries by the media regarding the quality of the tournament and whether it would rise to the exceptional standard set by Rio in Brazil 4 years earlier. However, I have to say that for me, this has been one of the most enjoyable, thrilling, shocking and highly entertaining World Cups that I can remember. Every game provided talking-points, and there was rarely ever a dull game in site. Well done to Russia for hosting such a wonderful spectacle, and well done to France for winning their 2nd World Cup trophy.

On to Qatar in 2022!

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