The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia is now complete, and France is the worthy champion. This was one of the most exciting tournaments I could remember for so many reasons.
We saw the introduction of new technology that will probably change soccer forever, a new team reached the final for the first time, and England won a penalty shootout. There were plenty of magical moments in Russia, and some of them will remain in our memories forever.
In this post, I will try to collect all of the defining events of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Some of them are related to the success of the teams that did well. Others are simply extraordinary and deserve to be mentioned.
Let’s see what impressed the most.
The Failure of the Big Guns
One of the things that defined the 2018 World Cup in Russia was that many of the favorites underperformed and were dumped early on. Let’s take a look at what happened.
The curse of the champion or poor team selection?
It’s funny how the reigning champions have gone down in the group stage in the last couple of World Cups. I honestly didn’t see it coming this time around, but the Germans were eliminated in the group stage of the competition for the first time.
The team didn’t show the efficiency of 2014 and looked lost for ideas. I think the key moment that led to this was the team selection of Joachim Low.
The coach was unable to inject much-needed energy and youth into the squad.
The best example was the surprising omission of Leroy Sane. The Manchester City winger had an exceptional season, and in my opinion, he should’ve been a starter in the German team. Instead, he wasn’t even part of the group that went to Russia.
The overall impression is that Low relied too much on players and tactics that worked in 2014. He failed to adjust the team to the new soccer realities and replace some of the older players with new talent that could elevate Germany’s performance.
I would add another example that didn’t affect the team much but was very telling of the approach used by Low. Manuel Neuer was injured for a lot of time and barely played before the World Cup.
And yet, he was Germany’s number 1 despite the presence of the young Ter Stegen who had an incredible season for Barcelona.
Don’t get me wrong, this is not a dig at Neuer, who’s a great player, and I don’t blame him for Germany’s exit. However, his starting spot didn’t make any sense under the circumstances.
At the end of the day, it was a deserved early exit for Germany and a lesson they must learn to return to the top. Fortunately for the country, there is a lot of talent in their ranks, and the road to success shouldn’t be that long.
Too broken after three lost finals?
Argentina almost failed to qualify for the World Cup finals, and it took a miraculous hat trick from Lionel Messi in the last round to book a place in Russia.
Still, many expected the team to improve dramatically, as it has reached the finals in each of the last three major tournaments, including the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Everyone thought Messi and the other top players would show up in Russia.
Sadly for the country, this never happened. Argentina was humiliated by Croatia in the group stage and barely made it to the last 16. Despite the unconvincing performance and a poor start against future champs France, the South Americans were suddenly 2-1 up in the first knockout stage after a lucky deflection and one of the goals of the tournament.
I think this was one of the most crucial moments of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Argentina was leading 2-1 with about 40 minutes to go, and this was the first and only time France was behind in the tournament.
Both teams showed their true colors at this moment, as the Europeans absolutely destroyed their opponent and scored three times within less than 15 minutes. This gave France the belief that this could be their tournament, and they dumped a sorry Argentina.
Unfortunately for Lionel Messi, it seems he won’t win a soccer World Cup in his career. I feel this Argentinian squad had all sorts of problems, but most of all, they were mentally broken after losing three big finals in a row.
Beaten before the tournament had even started?
Similarly to Germany, I believe the big moment for the Spanish team was actually before the FIFA World Cup in Russia had even started. Coach Lopetegui was lured by the opportunity to become the Real Madrid manager and accepted an offer from the club.
He obviously didn’t notify the Spanish Federation and was sacked days before the World Cup. Many believe this was the right decision, but I can’t agree.
Lopetegui was trying to change Spain and move on from their old style. He was trying to add urgency and penetration to a team that was used to have plenty of the ball but struggled to create many chances.
There were many signs he was about to succeed during the qualifications for the finals in Russia. We saw a lot of improvement in the first match against Portugal, too. Unfortunately for Spain, the country returned to the fruitless possession game from the last couple of big tournaments after that.
This was the main reason Spain was beaten by Russia in the last 16.
The former world champs had the ball for the majority of the match against Russia but didn’t make it count at the end. I think they lacked the leadership of Lopetegui, and sacking him was a huge mistake.
New Powers on the Rise
When some of the traditional forces in soccer fail, it’s only natural for other countries to take their place. This is exactly what happened in 2018.
Many nations will be happy about how their teams performed at the World Cup and will be hoping for more of the same in the near future.
Croatia Redefining Expectations
Croatia was one of the teams I selected as a good value bet to win the World Cup and as one of the potential surprises in the tournament. The small Balkan country had a great squad full of talent and hard workers.
I think the moment that gave them strength and helped Croatia reach the final was the win against Argentina. We all knew that Croatia was good, but I don’t think anyone expected them to be that good.
They trashed Messi and his teammates 3-0. After a result like that, the country knew it could go all the way, and that’s exactly what happened.
I would also like to point out that I’ve never seen a team come back so many times in the knockout stages. Croatia went behind in each of their games in the knockout stages from the last 16 to the final. They managed to somehow find a way to equalize and even ended victoriously in the first three clashes.
Unfortunately for Croatia, France was too strong at the end.
Despite falling at the last hurdle, this team deserves our respect and showed the world that the Balkan side is a force to be reckoned with.
The likes of Modric, Rakitic, Perisic, and Mandzukic were among the top players of the 2018 World Cup, and despite losing in the final, they created their own legend for the decades to come.
This generation of Belgian players is probably the best in the country’s history, and it has been like that for years now. And yet, up to 2018, the team has been struggling to do something special in a major tournament.
I think the main missing ingredient was the team spirit. Belgium had a squad full of stars but no cohesion and desire on the pitch. This World Cup was one of the last chances for this group of players to achieve something, as some of them will be out of their prime in a couple of years.
It was hard to know what would happen after the group stage, as both Tunisia and Panama were no match, while the game against England was barely competitive.
This is when the clash against Japan happened. The Asians were the worst team in the last 16, on paper, and everyone expected a spanking. And yet, Belgium was 2-0 down in the second half and on the brink of elimination.
It seemed as if the Golden Generation would once again fail to live up to the expectations.
I think this was the moment that changed everything. With their backs against the wall, the Belgians finally realized they had to push as hard as possible and give everything.
The European side managed to win the game 3-2, and this lifted them. It was this newly-found inspiration that helped them beat Brazil in the next round and then finish 3rd in the World Cup. Sure, Belgium will probably be disappointed, as the title was close, but it was still an honorable performance.
England Wins a Penalty Shootout!
For the first time in years, an English team went to a big tournament without carrying the burden of unrealistic expectations. Many felt this side had no experience and lacked quality in certain areas to compete.
I have to admit, I was part of that group. And yet, Gareth Southgate and his boys reached the last 4 of a World Cup for only the third time in the country’s history. Despite some difficult moments throughout the tournament, this English side performed at the biggest stage and made the nation proud.
Many argue that the team got lucky and played in the easier half of the draw. This might be true, but it shouldn’t wipe out the positives of this English performance.
For a start, it was a completely different mental state. The players were relaxed, and the team spirit was obvious. There were no egos and no expectations to bring the team down.
The credit should go to Gareth Southgate, who made this possible.
The biggest evidence that something was different was the penalty shootout against Colombia. The young English lads kept their composure and won it, which shocked the world. They then went on to reach the last 4, and you can’t take that away from them.
Sure, next time around, the draw won’t be that kind. But this squad will be more experienced and closer to its prime. If the hard work continues, this generation of English players might have another shot at glory somewhere in the future.
I think one of the most powerful moments in the 2018 FIFA World Cup was the opening game of the tournament. The host country Russia failed to spark the hopes of the nation before the tournament started, and most Russians expected the side to fail.
And yet, it all changed after only one match. The team trashed Saudi Arabia 5-0, and suddenly, everyone was behind the players. It was an example of how whole countries are affected by the World Cup and the game of soccer.
With the full support of the Russian people, the side went on to beat Spain and reach the last 8. They went toe to toe with eventual finalist Croatia at this stage and were heartbroken after a penalty shootout.
And still, a nation that didn’t believe at the start was extremely proud of the men who gave everything on the pitch, and Russia will remember the 2018 World Cup fondly.
The Rest of the Bunch
Of course, many other teams and players had their own special moments during the 2018 World Cup. Let’s take a closer look at some of them.
New Boys Score for the 1st Time
No one expected Panama to qualify for the World Cup, but the guys did that. It was for the first time in their history, which made the achievement monumental.
Of course, the whole nation enjoyed the tournament without expecting anything. This is why their joy was unbelievable when Panama actually managed to score their first goal against England.
The final scoreline of 6-1 didn’t ruin it for the small country, and the team found the net in the next match against Tunisia as well.
There was also a political scandal during this World Cup. It happened in the game between Switzerland and Serbia. Both Swiss goalscorers, Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri, made a symbol similar to the Albanian flag while celebrating.
This created a lot of controversy, and both players were investigated by FIFA. However, they escaped a punishment.
There’s no doubt that Neymar is one of the most talented attacking players in the world right now. The guy has insane skills and was among the top performers in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
However, 2018 was very different for Neymar and his country. They were knocked out by Belgium in the quarterfinals, which was a slight underperformance, I think. No one was satisfied with this result, but it wasn’t as bad as Germany, Spain, or Argentina.
Still, one of the most memorable moments from Brazil in this World Cup was Neymar’s antics. He went down easy on so many occasions that people from all over the globe trolled him online after that.
African Hearts Getting Broken
The countries from Africa had a tough World Cup, as none of them managed to go out of the group stage. It all started about a month before the competition even began when Mohamed Salah got injured.
He wasn’t completely fit for the World Cup, and Egypt had no chance to progress without its talismanic striker and one of the best players in the world right now.
The teams of Morocco and Tunisia showed some decent soccer but were unable to find a clinical finish and were far from reaching the next stage of the World Cup.
There were two teams from Africa that almost did it but fell short in the last minute. The young Nigerian squad showed a lot of potential, but lacked the experience to keep it cool at the end and was dumped by Argentina.
Elsewhere, Senegal got 4 points and was 15 minutes away from the last 8. The team was great but played a too passive game against Colombia in the last round and got punished in the second half.
Tough luck for the African representatives, but they will be hoping to bounce back in 4 years.
Ronaldo Hitting Another Record
I’m 100% sure that Cristiano Ronaldo is not happy with this World Cup. After winning the EURO 2016, the Portuguese forward had another major trophy in his sight, but the team didn’t deliver.
Still, the new Juventus forward did break another record by becoming the most prolific international scorer from Europe. He is second worldwide, and there’s a case to be made that he might become first as well.
Final Words
I’m sure you are wondering why some of the most crucial moments of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia are not included in this article. For a start, there’s not much about the champions, France.
I figured they deserve their own post, so feel free to check my thoughts on the main reasons the country won the competition.
Also, there’s a separate post dedicated to the funniest moments in this World Cup. You will find everything from Neymar’s haircut to a certain Belgian forward that had a romance with one of the posts there.
Finally, the soccer world witnessed the introduction of video technologies. I think it was a good thing in the long run, despite some controversial moments.
I’m sure that I might’ve missed some of the exciting moments of this the 2018 FIFA World Cup. If you believe that’s the case, let me know about it in the comments below.
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