Of course we’re not going home now. Because the teamsheets for the third-place final are in! And it promises to be a thoroughly entertaining battle for the Golden Boot: Harry Kane (six goals) is in the England XI, while Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard have been tasked with teeing up a few chances for Romelu Lukaku (four). It’s on ... and Paul Doyle will be following the match in the MBM! So get on over to that ... and thanks for reading this blog on the penultimate day of the 2018 World Cup. Best of luck to England and Belgium this afternoon ... may the best team win!
The legacy of Paul the Octopus pt. XXXVIII. You know how these animal prediction things work by now. So this is Buyan, a male Siberian bear at the Royev Ruchey Zoo in Krasnoyarsk. This fluffy little cutie, who would rip off your face without thinking twice about it, has plumped for the Croatian watermelon. So well done, Buyan! Congratulations to the new world champions Croatia, and commiserations to France. Can we all go home now?
Song/sock transgressions. Fifa has given the FA a ticking off, after determining that a small minority of fans at the Croatia semi-final sang “political chants”. The FA has also been fined 70,000 Swiss francs (roughly £50,000) after Dele Alli, Eric Dier and Raheem Sterling were found guilty of wearing “unauthorised socks”. It’s worth reading that last sentence back, then contemplating the direction the human race is travelling.
Just in case you somehow missed it ... the latest David Squires cartoon landed yesterday. As always, it’s a work of art, offsetting the return of Old England with some reasons to be cheerful. And Sam the puppy fetches a present for Donald Trump. Who’s a good boy? Yes you are, yes you are.
More on tomorrow’s World Cup final whistler Nestor Pitana. “Is it just me or is he the spit of Captain Hadley, the sadistic prison guard in Shawshank Redemption, played by Clancy Brown?” asks Michael O’Connor. “Perhaps one of the players could curry favour with him by offering to do his taxes, since the modern footballer is an expert in tax efficiency.”
Andy Gordon adds: “The tag line to the movie Nestor Pitana was in is ‘Love is the greatest weapon against injustice’. This will make for an interesting alternative to VAR tomorrow.”
More hot Russia 2018 CEO Alexei Sorokin chat! And yes I am just killing time until Belgium-England!
This World Cup has changed the perception of Russia abroad. It showed who we are. We showed ourselves as an open, hospitable, welcoming nation.
We can only think and speculate why didn’t European nations come in huge numbers to support their teams. But the truth of the matter is that on the way they really got a taste of the World Cup.
You see that we did our best to welcome any fans from any country, from any corner of the world.
It changed not only the perception of Russia abroad, it changed us. We now believe that we can. We can play football well, we can organise events of global importance well.
Killing The Golden Goose dept. Fifa president Gianni Infantino has already ensured the 2026 World Cup will expand from 32 to 48 teams. He’s now thinking about getting Qatar to bring that change forward to 2022. But Russia 2018 boss Alexey Sorokin has sounded a note of warning.
It’s important to remember what the country has bid for and planned for.
To change that is not a minor decision that can be made in five minutes. There is a domino effect of going from 32 teams to 48.
It’s more base camps, more flights, it has multiple secondary effects. It will take a lot of specific planning, involving thousands of people. So for now no decision has been taken. It’s been discussed but not agreed.
It’s important to listen to Qatar to find out if their infrastructure is up to it, because they applied for and prepared for 32 teams.
So it’s not about them discussing this with their neighbours, it’s an important decision and it should be between them and Fifa.
A bigger tournament would most likely mean Qatar sharing the tournament with the likes of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Good luck getting everyone to agree on that.
It’s only a couple of hours until England play the final match of their 2018 adventure. Can they get the better of brilliant Belgium, and post their second-best finish at a World Cup in 68 years of trying? Can Harry Kane seal the deal for the Golden Boot? Or will Belgium’s golden generation record their best World Cup finish ever, besting their famous 1986 fourth-place finishers, Ceulemans, Scifo, Pfaff, Claesen, all that? Dominic Fifield previews the big game (yes it is, don’t listen to the grumblers, there’s no love in their hearts).
Here’s Marcel Desailly on his good friend and fellow 1998 champion Didier Deschamps. The France boss is attempting to join Mario Zagallo (Brazil: 1958 and 1962; 1970) and Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany: 1974; 1990) in winning the World Cup as both player and manager.
I am confident that, 20 years after Didier won the World Cup as France captain, he will lift the trophy again as our manager.
The World Cup final referee. Nestor Pitana, a 43-year-old Argentinian PE teacher and former actor who appeared in a 1997 action flick called The Fury, takes charge of the big match tomorrow. It brings the tournament full circle, rather neatly, for he was the whistler in the opening match between Russia and Saudi Arabia. He’s dealt with both of the finalists already, taking charge of the second-round Croatia-Denmark game, and France’s quarter-final win over Uruguay, during which he managed to calm down a brouhaha sparked by Kylian Mbappe’s play-acting and Diego Godin’s straight-talking reaction to it. If he can stop the magnificently belligerent Uruguayans from kicking off in a comic-book cloud of boots and fists, he can pretty much cope with anything, you have to think.
More BREAKING NEWS from the REAL WORLD ... if the Premier League counts as the real world, of course. It’s all about context I guess. Anyway, it’s a busy day at Stamford Bridge, because Chelsea have just announced the signing of Italian international Jorginho from Napoli. It looked like the 26-year-old midfielder was on his way to Manchester City, but he’s been enticed to west London instead. He speaks via the medium of the press release:
I am absolutely ecstatic to be here at Chelsea. It is not easy to become part of such a big team so I am very, very happy. I am excited to play in such an intense league, for a team that gives everything to play and win.
Kane and the very able Subasic. Richie Patterson explains: “Just seen this ...
They say is was a mistake from @HKane but the true is that save from @SubasicDanijel was the best save of all @FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/QDcD7tMi1M
— Riera Machado (@rieramachado) July 13, 2018
... and this changes the semi-final completely for me. I was disparaging of Harry Kane for his miss (or hitting the post from three feet) but this slo-mo showing it was a save by Danijel Subasic changes it all completely. If it’s in, England are in the final ... but it isn’t! Fine margins.”
Tactics guru Jonathan Wilson was scribbling furiously on his chalkboard ahead of tomorrow’s big game ... and then he drifted off into an extremely pleasant reverie, as he considered how the midfields of France and Croatia could produce a very dreamy encounter indeed. Here’s his take on how the big game could pan out.
Croatia become the 13th country to play in a World Cup final tomorrow. (Germany and West Germany being the same thing in the eyes of Fifa.) They’ll be the fourth to feature in just one, after Sweden, England and Spain. And they’ll be the second smallest nation to contest football’s biggest match: Uruguay’s population was only a smidgen over two million in 1930 and 1950. Anyway, who doesn’t love a list? So here we go. World Cup final appearances (and yes, yes, it was a final pool in 1950, but you know how that effectively panned out):
8: Germany (1954, 1966, 1974, 1982, 1986, 1990, 2002, 2014)
7: Brazil (1950, 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 1998, 2002)
6: Italy (1934, 1938, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006)
5: Argentina (1930, 1978, 1986, 1990, 2014)
3: France (1998, 2006, 2018)
3: Netherlands (1974, 1978, 2010)
2: Uruguay (1930, 1950)
2: Hungary (1938, 1954)
2: Czechoslovakia (1934, 1962)
1: England (1966)
1: Spain (2010)
1: Sweden (1958)
1: Croatia (2018)
The bronze curse. “Is Gareth Southgate aware of the third-placed-team curse when it comes to qualifying for the next European Championship?” wonders Admir Pajic. “Italy 1990, Sweden 1994, Croatia 1998, Turkey 2002 and Holland 2014 have all missed the next Euro after winning the bronze medal at the World Cup. Of course, Germany have been immune on that one - they qualified for Euro 2008 and 2012 respectively despite finishing third at the World Cup. So, if you see Kyle Walker acting like he is not a natural central defender when he faces Romelu Lukaku today, remember it might be a part of the tactics!”
That’s interesting ... very interesting, as the great Barry Davies might say. And a quick look back further only serves to reinforce your point, Admir. France came third in 1986, and didn’t make Euro 88, while Poland finished third in 1982, but failed to reach Euro 84. Before that? Brazil were the third-placed team in 1978, and it would be pretty harsh to criticise them for not competing at Euro 80. Before that, the Euro finals were a four-team affair, so it’s probably not quite as relevant. Memo to Gareth and Bobby M: beware that bronze medal!
Harry Kane could be coming home with the Golden Boot. But a couple of other England players already have a personal triumph chalked up. Congratulations to Eric Dier and Fabian Delph, head tennis champions of the world!
Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic has been on the talk. And he’s been specifically discussing the fitness of his players, who have been through the mill against Denmark, Russia and England.
Tomorrow is the World Cup final. Simply the players know what that is. One thing that brings me happiness is that all my players tell whether they are not 100 per cent fit.
We have a such a good relationship that they will concede and say that I am not fit, I’m going to miss the final. They know what is at stake in the final, how great it is to play in the final. But if they will be unable to give their all they will tell us.
I expect them to do so, they need to have such an attitude.
We do not insist on practice sessions. We have nothing to practice. We need relaxation, rest to regain freshness for tomorrow. We have some minor injuries, minor problems.
I hope we will overcome those today and that all my players will be ready to play in the final. If they’re not we have great players on the bench who are raring to go.
I’m not worried. I do not have any problems in that respect.
It wasn’t made totally clear how all of that squares with Ivan Rakitic insisting he “would play a final without a leg if necessary”, having already contested the semi against England despite suffering from a raging fever the night before. But you get the general drift, so let’s just go with it.
While we’re back on the subject of club football, which we were, sort of, here’s more from the REAL WORLD! And Paul Wilson’s had his say on Chelsea’s appointment of Maurizio Sarri, as it could lead to an uncharacteristic period of managerial stability for the club. To illustrate ...
The last Chelsea manager to last five years was Dave Sexton, who took over from the equally durable Tommy Docherty.
So Germany’s reign as world champions will end in approximately 31 hours’ time, when either France or Croatia take their crown. But what of Jogi Löw’s men? The heroes of Brazil ‘14 became villains in Russia ‘18, none more so than Mesut Özil in the eyes of many. He’s been cast in the role of scapegoat for Germany’s failure, so much so that his new club boss Unai Emery has pledged to give him all the support that’s necessary at this difficult time.
The Croatian diaspora. Joe Gorman reports on how Croats the world over will celebrate their country’s appearance in tomorrow’s final.
For those who can’t get to Croatia, there will be a crowd of thousands at the Melbourne Croatia soccer club, the Croatian Catholic church in Sunshine, and other Croatian community centres around Australia. Patriotic songs such as Lijepa Li Si, Moja Domovina, and Malo Nas Je Al’ Nas Ima will be sung just as loudly in Sydney or Melbourne as they are in Zagreb, Split, or Moscow.
The young ones. Ed Aarons has run the rule over this World Cup’s freshest talent, and selected an XI accordingly.
In lieu of England making another World Cup final ... you might want to relive their one and only appearance in the big one. Here’s how the 1966 final unfolded, in real time, sort of.
More REAL WORLD news. A good feature, this, seeing nothing much is happening because nearly everyone’s gone home. “Actually, the Scottish League Cup actually started in earnest last night, with the mighty Killie playing out a thrilling 0-0 draw with St Mirren,” reports Stephen Black. “No boring extra-time, instead straight to penalties which probably weren’t necessary, seeing as Killie have a penalty shootout record which even England would mock. Inevitably, St Mirren took the bonus point, and even this early on in the season you’ll be hard pressed to see a worse effort from the spot than Gary Dicker’s.” Waddlesque!
The romantics can’t lose tomorrow. Either the teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe becomes the Pele de nos jours, or a country of 4.5 million people win the biggest prize in football. Who do you pick? It’s not an easy choice, is it. The great Brazil striker Marta makes her call ...
On the subject of actually enjoying football, and to hell with how the cynics insist you should go about your business ... you’ll love this fine column from Paul MacInnes, reflecting on the way Gareth Southgate’s side reintroduced innocent concepts such as fun, excitement and glee to the nation.
Whatever happens in the third-place game this afternoon, it’s fair to say England have enjoyed a wonderful World Cup. The future is bright! OK, so this is exactly what everyone thought in 1990, and look what happened in the World Cup after that. But England have plenty of hot talent coming through, and in any case there’s nothing wrong with harbouring a little hope, getting carried away is the whole point of sport. This upbeat piece from Dominic Fifield will hopefully get you dreaming once more.
BREAKING NEWS from the REAL WORLD ... BREAKING NEWS from the REAL WORLD ... Chelsea have confirmed the appointment of former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri as their new manager. That’s a nice new shirt Chelsea will be wearing this season. A subtle nod to the Dixon-Speedie-Nevin years.
Moray-based excessive concern with minor details. “At the risk of being a complete pedant,” begins complete pedant Matt Taylor, “Elgin are one of the few teams who wouldn’t be travelling north to play Ross County. It’s pretty much due west from Elgin to Dingwall.” Yes, fair point, well made. My mum’s from Portknockie, a few miles down the road from Elgin. She’d give me a clip round the ear for that mistake. Fortunately for me, she’s not on the internet. Anyway, Matt thankfully gets us back to the subject in hand, that being the small matter of the World Cup. “In terms of the anti-final, I am wildly oscillating between not remotely caring about the match and getting quite excited for what is usually an entertaining game with a few goals. So cue a stodgy 0-0.”
For the record ... here’s the World Cup leading scorer club Harry Kane (England) hopes to join.
1930: Guillermo Stabile (Argentina)
1934: Oldnch Nejedly (Czechoslovakia)
1938: Leonidas (Brazil)
1950: Ademir (Brazil)
1954: Sandor Kocsis (Hungary)
1958: Just Fontaine (France)
1962: Garrincha (Brazil), Vava (Brazil), Leonel Sanchez (Chile), Florian Albert (Hungary), Valentin Ivanov (USSR), Drazan Jerkovic (Yugoslavia)
1966: Eusebio (Portugal)
1970: Gerd Muller (West Germany)
1974: Grzegorz Lato (Poland)
1978: Mario Kempes (Argentina)
1982: Paolo Rossi (Italy)
1986: Gary Lineker (England)
1990: Toto Schillaci (Italy)
1994: Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria), Oleg Salenko (Russia)
1998: Davor Suker (Croatia)
2002: Ronaldo (Brazil)
2006: Miroslav Klose (Germany)
2010: Thomas Muller (Germany), David Villa (Spain), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), Diego Forlan (Uruguay)
2014: James Rodriguez (Colombia)
It’s not bad company, is it.
Updated
Toto Schillaci’s late penalty in that match meant he pipped Tomas Skuhravy of Czechoslovakia to the Golden Boot. Harry Kane - who has declared himself fit to play this afternoon but has looked utterly spent of late - will be hoping for a goal or two to secure this year’s prize. A hat-trick for Romelu Lukaku would put the cat among the pigeons, though. As would Antoine Griezmann or Kylian Mbappe doing a Geoff Hurst tomorrow. Or perhaps Mario Mandzukic, Ivan Perisic or Luka Modric will draw level with Kane on six after becoming the first man to score four in a final. OK, this is getting silly. But nothing’s over until it’s over. A goal today for Harry should put it safely out of reach. Probably.
And now some footage of England’s one and only appearance in the third-place showdown. That came in 1990, and is chiefly remembered for Roberto Baggio making a right eejit of poor Peter Shilton, in the great goalkeeper’s final international. One of the few plus points of England losing the semi, this: imagine if he’d done that in the World Cup final.
Here’s a clip of Belgium’s previous appearance in the third-place final. Their 4-2 defeat to France in 1986 is the only bronze-medal play-off to have gone to extra time. David Bowie earworm Bernard Genghini scored the decisive goal on 104 minutes. If today’s game is even half as good as this one, we’re in for a cracker.
A healthy morning repast.
But never mind that yet! Because today England have the chance to register their second-best result at a World Cup! If they see off Belgium today, they’ll better their fourth-place finish at Italia 90. That may not be the prize Gareth Southgate and his squad were after, but it’s something. Only problem is, Belgium’s golden generation are after exactly the same thing: if they win today, they’ll have gone one better than the 1986 squad pipped by France in that year’s play-off. Either way, a little bit of history will be made, so it could be some game, especially as Roberto Martinez wants his team to rediscover “that winning feeling”, while Southgate has his heart set on “going home with a medal”. It’s on!
I mean, if you want proof that the real world is about to come crashing in through the window ... the Scottish League Cup starts again today. Dundee United host Arbroath, Inverness Caley Thistle welcome Cove Rangers, Elgin head north to Ross County. And there are a tranche of friendlies. Celtic play Standard Liege, Bury take on Liverpool, Aston Villa are off to Telford. Meanwhile at the Krestovsky Stadium, the lone World Cup fixture: the third and fourth place play-off between Belgium and England. From St Petersburg to Salop. It’s nearly over. We’re coming home.
Good morning. Welcome to the business end of the World Cup. The biggest game in football is just one day away! It’s what we’ve all waited for; it’s what we all live for! And yet ... it’s nearly over. Another four-year cycle is pretty much complete. Back to normality soon. Bah! When the TV channels run their final montages tomorrow afternoon, it’ll suddenly hit home and the tears may flow. There she goes, my beautiful world.
And that’s it from me, Richard Parkin, like 28 of the teams from Russia 2018 my involvement is officially over - and what a good old giggle it’s been these past few weeks. Thanks for all your correspondence, especially some of the beautiful memories from World Cups before my time.
Scott Murray will be your man in the chair as the build-up to Russia 2018’s penultimate match continues. I’m off to watch Gary Neville v Peter Schmeichel on loop. Go well.
Shoutout to Ed Calvert who’s made my day by tracking down this masterclass of pre-match mindgames.
@rrjparkin https://t.co/1tEygoMJSH
— Ed Calvert (@edcalvert) July 14, 2018
I reckon Jordan Pickford’s got something tastier in mind for Courtois though. He’s just got that look about him.
And while I’m doing shoutouts, apparently Hakan Şükür and his merry band from 2002 deserve one for their heroics in another memorable World Cup 3rd/4th place clash:
@rrjparkin a shout out to Turkey finishing third at the 2002 World Cup! They still talk about it in Turkey and it had the fastest World Cup goal ever!
— Sam (@athousanddays) July 14, 2018
Ooh, I did love Rüştü Reçber. What a generation of talent that was for Turkey. Even if it did cost the AFC Confederation it’s first ever 3rd place finish.
Another good yarn from a while back is this from Paul Wilson looking at why the management styles of Gareth Southgate or Roberto Martínez have been so highly praised at this World Cup, despite their records of relative failure in the Premier League:
Will either of them further feather their fedoras with a tactical masterpiece today?
And averting our gaze a little further ahead to the World Cup final, where a lot of the attention has been on the Croatian fairytale and their talismanic captain Luka Modrić - so now, a nice story of redemption for the French team, who you will remember already carry the scars of losing a major football tournament final, just two years ago:
Some lovely insights from David Hytner there, especially the degree of rebuilding and re-galvanising of a playing group from what is in reality not too long ago.
In the meanwhile, if you missed this from yesterday, what a beautiful piece and a lovely trip down memory lane. If not yours, then at least somebody else’s.
I floated the question a week or so back on this blog, whether this was the best World Cup ever, and got some terrific responses, especially pertaining to tournaments before my time.
Fair to say perhaps the best from the 90s onwards perhaps, but with plenty of contenders from yester-yore?
And as Belgium and England awake, we’ll throw it over once more to you, the people. How do you see today’s match unfolding; and who could emerge as the decisive figures?
Two of the Belgian contingent have continued to talk a pretty strong game ahead of this one, with Thibaud Courtois and captain Eden Hazard not mincing their words after their semi-final lose to France.
“I prefer to lose with this Belgium than win with this France,” sniffed the captain, while the lanky goalkeeper with the slightly creepy black gloves accused the French of being an “anti-football team”.
Does this mean full attack mode and goals, goals, goals against England?
After Courtois’ previous comments on Jordan Pickford keep an eye on the pre-game walkout. It could all get a little bit Gary Neville v Peter Schmeichel.
[Note: if anyone can find that infamous vid, please email me. In my memory its my literal definition of “little dog tries to take on big dog”]
Gary Lineker has given a little nod to Shania Twain with the confession “man, I feel like a German”, but it’s a good point that he makes - approaching penalties in the semi-final for the first time in seemingly forever, there was a confidence about a positive outcome from eleven metres, if only England had got there.
Martha Kelner has more such insights, and explains how sweating the small stuff has been a defining feature of this England side’s success:
And so we return to England, and their preparations for today.
Dominic Fifield is on the ground on Russia with the update on what the coach and players have been through since their heartbreaking loss to Croatia:
We’ve mentioned Martínez’s tactical tinkering, but I do wonder if Gareth Southgate has something up his sleeve for this one?
There were rumours of Kieran Trippier and Jordan Henderson perhaps carrying a knock, will the change the England manager’s outlook?
We’ve seen Eric Dier come in at the base of the England midfield, but could this be a job for Fabian Delph or Ruben Loftus-Cheek?
And speaking of formations, Peter Oh reckons he’s gleaned a decent insight from Ivan Rakitić’s media interviews (see earlier):
Hi Richard, based on Rakitic’s tactics hint, I predict Croatia to line up in a 4-4.5m-3 formation, with the obvious intent of crowding the midfield.
They reckon N’Golo Kanté is two players in one, maybe this is the best way to neutralise the French engine-room.
And of course, we mentioned the great Just Fontaine earlier - who could forget that four of his record 13 goals during a World Cup game in the 3rd/4th playoff game against West Germany at the 1958 World Cup.
A nine goal thriller as France finished 6-3 winners; only for the final to pick up the motif as Brazil ran out 5-2 winners over Sweden. Ahh, the football of yore.
Thomas Meunier will of course be available for selection following his semi-final suspension. I wonder if that will see Roberto Martínez revert to a wing-back system? They’ve played some scintillating football at this tournament, you’d love to see one last hurrah from The Duke of Hazard and his merry men.
As mentioned in the preamble the other “race within a race” is that the 3rd/4th place game still counts in the Golden Boot race.
1990 - an 88th minute penalty hands that particular accolate to Italy’s Salvatore Schillaci.
1998 - a goal to Davor Šuker hands the Croat the Golden Boot ahead of Gabriel Batistuta and Christian Vieri.
2010 - a goal to Thomas Müller sees the German pull ahead of David Villa and Wesley Sneijder on assists countback.
Add to that that with a win this could crown England’s best ever World Cup appearance in 50 years (and Belgium’s best ever) and I think it’s fair to say this one matters.
And with that comments oversight corrected, an issue close to my own heart has been raised by “dahsab”:
Do members of the English media all receive a gratuity each time one of them blithely pronounces that “no one cares about and no one wants to play the 3rd place game?” Ask the Sweden ‘94 team, or Croatia ‘98, how they felt about finishing third. Every four years this one issue, in the last week of the tournament, drives me mad. I should seek therapy.
I’m with you, sir. Indeed for not only the Swedish team of ‘94 but also the 91,500 people who packed the Rose Bowl to watch them that day - I think there’s a fair case to argue that game of football mattered.
It finished 4-0 to the Swedes, and I’d have to check, but aren’t the 3rd/4th place clashes always high-scoring affairs?
And avid readers of this blog might have seen this from yesterday, but it’s new to me so please indulge the repetition. Love me a mental stat:
1982: ✅
— 8Fact Football WC 🏆 (@8Fact_Footballl) July 13, 2018
1986: ✅
1990: ✅
1994: ✅
1998: ✅
2002: ✅
2006: ✅
2010: ✅
2014: ✅
2018: ✅ Tolisso & Perisic
Bayern Munich and Inter Milan have had a player in the #WorldCupFinal in every #WorldCup since 1982! pic.twitter.com/SgAvbTXT5v
Maybe a sliver of consolation to England supporters that Perišić’s progression with Croatia keeps this remarkable run alive? No doubt.
And profuse apologies - I’ve just noticed that comments had accidentally been disabled for today’s liveblog! That’s been rectified, so please jump on in. Enlighten us all with your sage insights.
And to think, this entire Croatian fairytale may not have happened if it wasn’t for one Finn of Namibian extraction (Finnmibian?) called Pyry Soiri.
“We will carry one another, we will get the energy, we know that this is the biggest game of our lives, and we want to leave the pitch with our heads held high and to be able to say we’ve done everything. We just need a little bit of luck to get the desired result,” Rakitić said.
How’s this for a stat - the World Cup final will be Ivan Rakitić’s 71st game of the season. 71 games!! No wonder half the world’s media presumed Croatia’s stars would be too tired to get past England.
Maybe there is something in this idea that Croatia’s national team are drawing on the will and passion and joy of their supporters.
As Barney Ronay points out that, technically what Rakitić proposes is however illegal under Fifa statutes.
This is a basic breach of playing regulations https://t.co/7ORgOIjfMV
— Barney Ronay (@barneyronay) July 13, 2018
And writing from Modrić’s hometown, here’s a nice wee yarn from Joe Gorman on the Croatian diaspora that’s come from around the world to galvanise behind the tiny nation’s historic World Cup tilt.
As somebody growing up playing against Australian-Croatian football clubs (shoutout to Hurstville Zagreb) the cultural influence this football-mad nation has had even at the farthermost corners of the planet can’t be understated.
And look at the sheer delight in Luka Modrić’s eyes.
[You missed it? Go read, look at, drink in that photo essay, dammit.]
There was so much talk about Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and the need to cap their remarkable playing careers by steering their respective nations to a World Cup, but what a fitting capstone it is for perhaps one of the world’s top five current players (some argue even higher) to spearhead his tiny nation to the biggest stage in World football. He may not have the Ballon D’Ors to back it, but this at least may secure a significant part of the Zadar magician’s legacy.
Amid a stack of highlights from Russia 2018 one of mine has been having Argentina’s 1986 World Cup final hero Jorge Valdano writing for the Guardian. And if you missed it, here’s his stunning piece (pre semi-final with England, mind) discussing the mercurial talent of Luka Modrić.
Sheesh, I haven’t even got my feet under the desk, and I’m almost welling up. If a picture tells a thousand words than this photo essay is worth a few Tolstoys in itself.
So do yourself a big favour and if you only click on one Guardian piece today (after this blog naturally) make it this one:
We were discussing highlights and lowlights of the tournament yesterday, but there’s about ten more captured here alone.
Nigeria’s strip (*chefs kiss*), Ronaldo’s 88th minute freekick against Spain, Mbappé’s virtuoso showing against Argentina; and more than any of that even - the sheer colour, joy and passion that surrounds a World Cup.
Football, eh?
Preamble
As Buzz Aldrin famously said* “second comes right after first” and despite the heartbreak of missing a World Cup final, for two proud nations the distinction of finishing Russia 2018 in third and leaving the tournament on a relative high still remains.
Once again England and Belgium lock horns. It’s the Group G rematch many hungered for - to see how the “A” teams might have fared in their earlier dead-rubber game. Just watch out if Adnan Januzaj gets another look-in.
And of course the tournament’s two leading goalscorers go face to face: the golden boot is on the line, and we’re not talking Panama or Tunisia here - if Romelo Lukaku or Harry Kane want to hunt down Just Fontaine’s record of 13 goals at a World Cup (lol), they’ll have to do it against some of the best defenders in the world.
Will it be free-flowing? Will it be one for the ages? There could be a chance, yes. So make sure you follow all the build-up here, as two nations that have played major roles at this tournament enjoy their seventh and final game of Russia 2018.
Of course, there is also the minor detail of the actual World Cup final lurking around the corner, so do send your best quips, witticisms and conspiracy theories to join the conversation: by email (richard.parkin.casual@theguardian.com), via twitter (@rrjparkin), or simply comment below the line.
With just two days remaining in this global festival of football, lets have it large.
*on the Simpsons
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