'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
With France lifting the trophy, the most watched sporting event came to an end. And what an amazing World Cup it was!
With some early upsets, some great goals, some fabulous saves, some wonderful moments, some controversies and some breathtaking football, this World Cup had it all. Russia 2018 has to be one of the best football tournaments in recent memory.
What is heartening to see is that football has moved beyond the traditional superpower footballing nations. Croatia almost did what no one had expected at the start of the tournament. Uruguay, Nigeria, Belgium, Japan and Russia are the other nations which impressed in the tournament.
The best part of this World Cup was its unpredictability. Who would have thought that the defending champion Germany would be knocked out in the group stages? That Spain and Argentina would be knocked out in the Round of 16? That England would reach the semi-final, and Harry Kane would win the Golden Boot award?
Then, like in every World Cup, the emergence of young talent in the tournament has given the fans something to look forward to beyond Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The most impressive of them was Kylian Mbappe from France, who also won the Best Young Player Award. His breathtaking run against Argentina will remain in memory for a long time.
Some other young players who were able to leave their mark in this tournament were Romelu Lukaku of Belgium, Raheem Sterling of England, Lucas Hernandez of France, Rodrigo Bentancur of Uruguay, Benjamin Pavard of France and Yerry Mina of Colombia.
The use of technology was also at the forefront in this tournament. Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was controversial and yet hugely successful in this World Cup, which made the game even more interesting. There were more penalties in this World Cup than any previous tournament, and VAR was the reason for that. My only worry is that the referees might become too dependent on this technology and keep referring to it for ‘subjective’ incidents.
The overall management of the tournament was fantastic, and you have to praise Russia for successfully hosting the mega event. If Qatar in 2022 can produce an event anything close to this one, then we will be in for a lot of fun.
