France was crowned the winner of FIFA World Cup 2018 as Didier Deschamps became the third footballer to win the tournament as both a player and coach. The most watched sport in the world, which is anticipated by fans for four years, never fails to disappoint with its abundance of happiness, emotion, glory, and memorable moments for the winners. The FIFA World Cup 2022 is approaching at last, and the moment has arrived. Let’s take a look back at the FIFA World Cup 2018 and how everything transpired before the competition starts. In 64 games in 2018, 169 goals were scored, averaging 2.6 goals per game, with one match ending in a 0-0 draw and France winning the championship. Each of the eight groups contained four nations, and only two were predicted to proceed to the knockout round.
Group Stage
Group A’s competitors included Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, and Russia. Saudi Arabia only managed one victory at FIFA World Cup 2018, while Russia finished second and Uruguay won all three games to take first place in the group. Egypt, led by Mohamed Salah, was unable to clinch a victory and placed last in the group.
The presence of two giants, Portugal and Spain, along with Iran and Morocco, made up Group B. Iran and Morocco were a challenge for Spain and Portugal, who narrowly escaped elimination by winning just one game and drawing the rest. The match between Spain and Portugal was the most entertaining. With Cristiano Ronaldo’s late goal to complete his hat-trick and earn Portugal a point, it stood out as one of the best group-stage matchups.
The matches in Group C were fantastic, with eventual victors of FIFA World Cup 2018, France coming out on top, and Denmark coming in second. The draws against Didier Deschamps’ team and Australia prevented the Danes from finishing first despite being significantly superior to France.
Argentina, the 2014 World Cup runners-up, and Croatia topped Group D, which was rife with instability. Argentina had great expectations for Messi and company, but Croatia was disappointed as they won all of their games while Argentina drew with Iceland and lost to Croatia. The sky blue put in a valiant effort to defeat Nigeria 2-1 in the last group game because they needed a victory to move on to the next round.
Brazil, who were placed in Group E with Switzerland, Serbia, and Costa Rica, won the remaining games and finished first after drawing with Switzerland. Without a hitch, the Selecao qualified for the knockouts of the FIFA World Cup 2018
The journey of the World Cup champions from 2014 came to an end at the group stage, with Germany experiencing one of the disappointments after just having one victory. While Sweden and Mexico advanced to the next round, they earned last place in Group F. It was one of the ills that many past World Cup winners continue to experience.
Group G’s seeds were Belgium and England. Two superpowers that were poised to move on to the next round did so spectacularly and with huge victories. However, the former emerged victorious, winning all of their games, and defeating England 1-0.
Colombia and Japan advanced to the next round because of their increased tenacity and ability to showcase their worth in Group H. The aforementioned teams, however, had to barely make it to the following round. Senegal and Japan were kept on the same point, but thanks to a fair play point, Japan was able to secure its position for the knockouts of the FIFA World Cup 2018.
Round of 16
The Round of 16 was filled with fun and surprises, and one of the best games had seven goals in all. France advanced to the next round with a 4-3 victory, ending Lionel Messi’s chances of winning the FIFA World Cup 2018. When Uruguay defeated Portugal 2-1, Ronaldo was also shown the door to leave. Brazil, meanwhile, advanced to the Quarterfinals with a well-deserved 2-0 victory over Mexico.
Another highly anticipated encounter was Belgium versus Japan, however, Belgium overreached and gave up two goals. The golden generation was shocked by the result, but they recovered and scored three goals in the second half to stage one of the most incredible comebacks in World Cup history. Russia delivered Spain an inconceivable defeat. La Roja was confident that they would get to the following round with ease. After extra time, the game went to penalties with a score of 1-1, when a mistake by Koke and Aspas ended Spain’s World Cup hopes.
Another game, this one involving Croatia and Denmark, was decided on penalties. Croatia’s 3-2 victory was a result of Modric’s team’s precise penalty-taking. In the meantime, Sweden defeated Switzerland by a score of 1-0. The most recent game also required penalties, and England was fortunate enough to achieve quarterfinal qualification for the first time since 2006.
Quarter-Finals
Due to a mistake from the Uruguayan goalie, France defeated Uruguay despite being the odds-on favorite. With a 2-0 victory, the French team advanced to the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup 2018. Brazil and Belgium engaged in a competitive match. However, Belgium defeated Brazil 2-1, displaying great bravery and proving that their golden generation is endowed with many values.
The Three Lions shocked everyone by defeating Sweden 2-0 to go to the Semi-finals for the first time since winning the World Cup in 1966 when no one had predicted that England would advance this far in the competition. In spite of being the underdogs and one of the greatest teams in the competition, Croatia persevered and proved their mettle by winning the tie-breaker and making it to the semifinals for the first time in their history.
Semi-Finals
France, Belgium, England, Croatia, and Belgium were the nations that advanced to the semifinals. Only two countries would go to the final of the FIFA World Cup 2018, with the losing teams vying for third place. France narrowly overcame Belgium’s golden generation, while Croatia narrowly eliminated England with a late goal. The setting was thus set for a confrontation between France and Croatia, the competition’s favorite and underdog.
World Cup Final
France had a right to win since they were superior to Croatia in terms of both quality and commitment. Despite Croatia dominating the first half, France grabbed control once the players gathered, and goals have been pouring in ever since. They played more clinically and at their best in the second half, scoring four goals against Croatia to defeat them 4-2 and win the World Cup 2018.
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