At the start of the FIFA 2018 World Cup, I posted on Facebook that for a month various peoples of at least 32 nations in the world will be united for their country. What ensued in the tournament truly made a case for national unity. Just about every player in every team played their heart out in their country's jersey. How else would you have Russia (the lowest ranked team) in the quarter finals? That South Korea beat defending champs Germany and knocked them out in the first round.
A tournament like this deserve a final to match. And we got it: as the Telegraph succinctly puts it, "truly, madly, deeply". We will miss this World Cup like no other. The day after Bastille Day France are champions and deservedly so. But only after the most remarkable, crazy and controversial encounter against a courageous Croatia in which there was a VAR storm, and an actual storm in the skies above Moscow, a first-ever own goal in a World Cup Final, a cool strike from a new global superstar, an horrific goalkeeping blunder by the man who lifted the trophy - and a Pussy Riot pitch invasion.
To secure its status as the best ever World Cup the tournament needed a memorable final. It got it. What a finale it was to this 31-day festival of football, as Gareth Southgate called it, and it was the highest-scoring final since England beat West Germany 4-2 in 1966. Well, they sang football’s coming home. At least the score was the same and while England and their fans will never stop dreaming of what might have been - just 22 minutes from the final, if anyone needed reminding - France have the 18-carat gold, 14-inch, 11lb trophy for the second time ever and the second time in 20 years.
What struck me most was how equal the game has become globally. Yes, all the semi-finalists were Europeans but many players including the winning French team had more than half their players who are immigrants or sons of immigrants. I spoke to a French colleague today and wish her and her country all the best in national integration and healing. Well, one can dream!
It also occurred to me that the way to win it has evolved. Possession and passing especially that practiced by Spain won it for them. France was happy to let the opponent keep possession and attempt shots from distance. They defended stoutly and were clinical when they had to strike. Efficient, fast and most of all productive. They make it look easy.
Third, it is such a mental game. Many of the upsets were caused not by a lack of skill but because players gave up playing. From the antics of Neymar to the defeatist body language of Messi, teams lost it in their minds before they lost it on the pitch. The most egregious example is Kieran Trippier. He was so devastated by Croatia's late strike, he couldn't play on in the semi-finals when his country was trailing and left them with 10 men with 10 minutes to play. Talk about losing it!
Croatia deserves more. They were the tournament's heart. But as M put it, and i parphrase her, the head won
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