It’s time for history and legend to meld in the form of the greatest spectacle in all of sport, the World Cup final. You can debate the perceived strengths and shortcomings of each nation, but there’s no denying that these are the two most deserving sides in the competition.
Trailing 1-0 at halftime of its semifinal match against England, Croatia looked like it was more likely to concede a second goal than find an equalizer. Then the Ivan Perisic World Cup highlight show got underway.
Perisic was a menace in winning back possession for Croatia. Playing on the left side, he was routinely found on the right disrupting England's attempts to get the ball under control.
It’s especially important to soak in the final two games of the 2018 World Cup this summer, since soccer fans will have to wait an extra six months before the 2022 World Cup begins. Due to Qatar’s brutally hot temperatures during the summer, the tournament will run from November 21 until December 18.
The 28-day timeframe is four days fewer than Russia 2018. That means there will be more games each day and less recovery time for teams.
On July 15, 2018, France and Croatia will meet at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow to contest the final of the World Cup. It’ll be a matchup of the two most deserving teams, but you can’t help but feel that England missed out on a massive opportunity after looking in the ascendency for the better part of the opening hour today.
The common refrain throughout the 2018 World Cup from England fans is: It’s coming home. Well, the Three Lions are coming home — empty handed.
Legendary right-sided midfielder David Beckham had some hugely memorable moments for England, including the free kick that sent the nation to the 2002 World Cup and the free kick that sent England to the quarterfinals in ’06. But the “Bury Beckham,” Kieran Trippier, has perhaps already eclipsed Golden Balls on the world’s biggest stage.
Following Belgium’s 1-0 defeat to France in the semifinals of the World Cup, defeated Red Devils stars Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois immediately began throwing shade at Les Bleus.
During France’s 1-0 win over Belgium yesterday, there was a heinous moment in the 92nd minute when Kylian Mbappe attempted to retain possession near Belgium’s corner flag, only to dribble out of bounds. Instead of allowing Toby Alderweireld to take the throw, the 19-year-old attempted a comically horrendous behind the back pass that landed on the pitch.
There’s your answer: From front to back, France has the best blend of talent at this World Cup. That’s not to deride Croatia or England, it’s just a question that was very obviously going to be settled in this particular semifinal. Could the “magic” propel either of those nations beyond France in the final? As Steven Gerrard would say, yeeeaah course — Portugal did it.
France is back in the World Cup final for the third time in the past six tournaments after a 1-0 victory over Belgium on Tuesday in Saint Petersburg. While there was just one goal in the France vs Belgium highlights, there was incredible action from two of the most entertaining teams in Russia this summer.
France made its first trip to the World Cup final in 1998 as host. Les Bleus returned in 2006 when Zinedine Zidane’s head butt ended their chances against Italy. Now France will play either England or Croatia in the final on Sunday in Moscow.