June 14 seems like a year ago, that’s how absorbing the Russia 2018 Fifa World Cup has been.
That’s the day the tournament began, of course, and within a flash, we’re remaining with two games: the first one being of little matter and the second one being the biggest football match this year to be played Sunday. Are you ready?
Although the end of the World Cup spells relief for most ladies, who’ve been getting little to no attention from their spouses I imagine, I think it’s safe to state that I’m not using hyperbole that this means disaster for football lovers.
This speaks to the point of the World Cup being the biggest stage of the world’s biggest game – and not the UEFA Champions League – contrary to popular belief. But that’s a topic for another day.
We’ve been treated to football at its finest in most cases, including cracking goals which a tournament of this magnitude warrants.
And in the final is no Brazil, Spain, Argentina or Germany. A World Cup of surprises, where Lionel Messi failed to make his mark and the defending champions were dumped out in the group stages. But this is the world of sport.
Still, France is in the final and they have always been a heavyweight in world football. Croatia will look to spoil the party, and when it comes to the final, anything is possible. Who do you support?
I’ve seen six Fifa World Cups including this ongoing one in my relatively short life, and although this tournament is likely to fall short as far as breaking the record for most goals scored in one single tournament, it’s been the best of the lot.
And speaking of records, let’s have a look at Russia 2018 and past tournaments by the numbers.
171 – The record for the total number of goals scored in a World Cup. Coincidentally, this record is jointly held by the 1998 and 2014 tournaments – organised in France and Brazil respectively. In Russia, we are currently on 161.
11 – The most goals scored in a single World Cup match, when Austria beat hosts Switzerland 7-4 in 1954.
8 – The number of hat-tricks scored in a single tournament – also in ’54 – which is still the record till this day.
5 – The number of times the most successful nation in the tournament’s history’s hoisted the trophy, Brazil.
57 – The number of seconds it took for Denmark’s Mathias Jorgensen to open the scoring, setting a new record for the fastest goal scored in a World Cup encounter.
Belgium coach, Roberto Martinez (Spanish), was two wins away from becoming the first foreign coach to win the tournament. No manager has done it before.
