Has this been the best FIFA World Cup ever? If France and Croatia turn on the style in Monday morning’s final, it may well be remembered as exactly that.
Where do you even start? France have never really looked troubled en route to the Luzhniki, while Croatia could hardly have expended more energy if they tried.
And there’s a sense that the French could slip into a higher gear at any second.
Hugo Lloris was superb against the Belgians, as Les Bleus proved once again the advantages of possessing a truly top-class goalkeeper.
France’s goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
And just like Stephane Guivarc’h in 1998, the French may well have a striker in Olivier Giroud who goes the entire tournament without scoring a goal. Their fans won’t care if it helps their team win the World Cup, and Didier Deschamps’ team surely deserve to go into the final as red-hot favourites.
Yet they haven’t faced a team quite like Croatia.
Much is made of the fact that Luka Modrić steers Croatia around the park – rightly so, since he’s clearly one of the world’s best footballers – however it’s Croatia’s strength in depth that has helped propel them to the final.
Their goal scorers against England, Ivan Perišić and Mario Mandžukić, play their club football for Inter and Juventus respectively, while the indefatigable Ivan Rakitić has been a key figure at Barcelona for years.
Even the nation’s lesser lights – the likes of Dejan Lovren and Andrej Kramarić and Ante Rebić – play for big clubs, and it’s hard to imagine a more united team in the tournament than the Vatreni.
It’s all been overseen by an unheralded coach in Zlatko Dalić, who was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina and only took the Croatia job ahead of their European playoff with Ukraine.
Had Croatia lost that tie, Dalić would almost certainly have shuffled back to the Middle East, where he went desperately close to leading Emirati club Al-Ain to an AFC Champions League title in 2016.
Instead, Dalić finds himself in a World Cup final, and it’s a testament to the chaotic nature of Croatian football – and a reminder that success is not guaranteed solely by curriculums and processes – that Croatia have enjoyed such an exhilarating run to the final despite their relatively humble means.
Now, a nation of just 4.1 million inhabitants – not to mention more than a few based here in Australia – awaits with bated breath to see if Dalić’s men can immortalise themselves in the annals of Croatian history.
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The team that reached the knock-out stage of Euro 1996 and the World Cup semi-finals in France two years later – that of Davor Šuker and Robert Robert Prosinečki et al – played with all the passion of a team enjoying its first ever steps as an independent nation.
Star midfielder Aljoša Asanović, who played in both of those tournaments, is these days the coach of Melbourne Knights in the National Premier Leagues Victoria.
And given how much Croatia has given to the game in Australia, wouldn’t it be fantastic to see the Vatreni lift the World Cup trophy at the imposing Luzhniki on Monday morning?
The question is whether Croatia can back up from a trio of knock-out games that went to extra-time – including a couple of penalty shoot-outs – in a row.
Will they have the legs? And just as importantly, will they be mentally fresh enough to manage the game effectively?
Much will depend on Modrić. He does more running than anyone on the pitch, but does he have enough left in the tank to unlock a French defence that has kept consecutive clean sheets against two much-vaunted attacking sides?
Whatever transpires in the early hours of Monday morning, this has truly been a tournament for the ages.
All it needs now is an unforgettable final and it may just rank as the greatest World Cup of all.
Jonno
Guest
You Mean the biased commentary by Martin Tyler England only had to look at the ball and Tyler would fall off his chair no such excitement when croatia showed class..he may be a legend but a biased England supporter.first and foremost .not good when you calling the game to a coutnry that is not England.we are not all England fans in Australia believe it or not.
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
"I farka you sista!"
cambrai
Guest
The World Cup will be over soon and I am going to miss it . It has been an unforgettable story- the great, the not so great , all part of it. The extra time in the game England v Croatia was so tense, adding to the drama-listen to the commentary by the wonderful Martyn Tyler to capture the essence of the contest.
MQ
Guest
Pauly I don' tthink you get it. To be precious is a fundamental right of all sokkah fans.
paulywalnuts
Guest
You still don’t get it, Nemesis. It’s ok to love cricket and call out the boorishness of modern international cricketers. It’s ok to love AFL and resent constant rule changes that take take traditional fans for granted. It’s ok to love football and complain farcical histrionics which which have been indulged for way too long such they’ve been accepted by some as part of the game. What’s “laughable” is just how precious some football fans are about it.
Rolly
Guest
Not sure about the best too young to go back further than Germany still think Germany was the best Aussies had the most success in Germany .No for Russia for the simple reason that it is played in a communist country Putin and the kremlin thrive in causing havoc around the world so they don't deserve any cudos it's all a big propaganda thing for them.and for the fact that more goals have been scored from set plays that run of play and for the fact of Neymars diving antics and for the fact the VAR has marred a lot of the games sometimes it's used sometimes it's not used depending on who the teams are .too many decisions going against the smaller teams in the tournament where as big teams big name players get away with more.France Argentina Spain Portugal two best games the others so so.its football how can you not love it.the tV ratings have been tremendous for all games
jbinnie
Guest
Chris- thanks for pointing out when the contentious goal was scored. Re-reading my statement I realise it can be taken the way you describe but it was not meant to be taken as the goal that caused the draw, it was more the fact that it was contentious,and caused the controversy over the absence of goal line technology,a thing we are still having a problem some 50 years later. Thanks again . Cheers jb.
Nemesis
Guest
@paulywalnuts And what the Bash Ball community doesn't understand is people, like myself like football couldn't give a stuff about attracting people who constantly whine about the Game. I know some AFL, NRL & Rugby fans like football. I know the majority do not. They think the game is boring, the players are weak, prima donnas, the scoring is too low, the off-side rule is bad, they hate everything about the Game. To the people who hate anything about the Game I say: Go Back To Where You Came From. Football - just the way it is - is enjoyed by billions around the world. We enjoy the Good. The Bad. The Ugly. If that means we miss out on attracting a couple of million whinging Aussies - no problem. I'm sure football can live with the loss. And that's what seems to rile the Bash Ball Community. They can't stand the fact the football community doesn't give a stuff about them. These poor deluded people actually think the Football community will listen to them whining and change the Game, the Culture, the Laws to appease the couple of million whingers in Australia. If it weren't so ridiculously delusional, it would be laughable.
jbinnie
Guest
Sorry apaway ,my reference to the "odd goal' was only meant to describe the result of the game against West Germany.Missed a comma. Thanks again for pointing out my "error". Cheers jb.
paulywalnuts
Guest
Here’s the unpalatable truth for some- many people love football in this country but many more don’t. They might love other sports or no sport at all. The notion that because it’s the most popular game on the planet it should be the most popular here (or America or Canada or NZ) is a fallacy. I love football, but I also love my old Aussie rules amateur club who I still go out and watch whenever I get the chance. That the rest of the world doesn’t care about AFL doesn’t bother me in the slightest. And it seems to me that’s what a lot of football fans just don’t get- people are involved in these “dead-end” sports because they LOVE THEM. And maybe they don’t love football. And you know what- that’s ok.
MQ
Guest
Are you an expert on world cups? If not, then you are not entitled to have an opinion on this forum.
MQ
Guest
He certainly hit it sweetly.
MQ
Guest
Let's not start a turf war.
paulywalnuts
Guest
Wow c, what a remarkably persuasive polemic. You’ve won me...
c
Guest
yes they are
paulywalnuts
Guest
Dead end sports...dear oh dear...
Nemesis
Guest
Do you people ever get tired of repeating the same negative stuff about football every day on every discussion? Football is boring. The players are prima donnas, they dive, they roll around, they don't punch others, they're not real men like the Bashing Sports. We get it. Why do you people waste so much of your lives watching & talking about a sport that you don't like? Are your lives really so lonely & miserable you can't find anything that gives you enjoyment? I almost feel sorry for you. How depressing must it be for people like you on the weekends?
MQ
Guest
Well summarised, there have been a few good games, no doubt, a bit of excitement and unpredictability thrown in, but the proportion of goals from set pieces, penalties and own goals is absolutely through the roof, goals from open play at an all time low, meaning there's no way that anyone who has followed 10+ WCs would refer to this one as the best ever.
Cool and Cold
Guest
Good songs, you have good taste. All you choose are sang by female celebrities.
Blubber
Guest
Overall I think I preferred the last world cup in Brazil but only just. The Tim Cahill goal and lack of VAR interruptions being the tipping points.