World Cup 2018 Russia
Sean O'Conor
Placing Russia 2018 in the Pantheon of Great FIFA Finals
Russia 2018 is over but fresh in our minds.
Fans, whether full-time or seasonal, are missing the shared roller coaster rides and moments of bliss or loss provided by the month-long fiesta.
Once more it was clear there really is nothing like the World Cup.
But was it the best of them all as some are saying?
Russia 2018 was certainly a very good World Cup with a goal-packed final and plenty of shocks along the road to Moscow.
Because of goal-line cameras and video-assisted refereeing, there were fewer moments of major controversy than usual, though the disputes lingered around referees' perceptions of intention and the fouls in the box which were not followed up.
As far as I know the month was also trouble-free, confounding the doom sayers and giving President Putin something to smile about beyond the hosts' unexpected ride to the last eight.
The thousands of supporters who flew to Moscow, most notably from far-off South America, enjoyed the experience and that is ultimately what matters most.
On field, technology was the winner as the yeas for VAR drowned out the nays, although its imperfections kept the bickering alive, not least with regard to the final's pivotal penalty award.
Its arrival meant record numbers of goals from penalties (22) and set pieces (43% of the total), a somewhat unforeseen consequence whose benefits to the game remain debatable.
As with the change to the back-pass law in 1992, the use of VAR should herald a greater concentration on set pieces in the knowledge the shirt-tugging of yesteryear will be punished.
Happily, the final for once was a proper tussle, more like an open group stage match when two sides with nothing to lose throw caution to the wind.
It might have seemed a big ragged but that is only because we have got used to tight and cagey affairs.
Thank the Lord we got no repeat of Argentina's negativity v Germany in 1990, the snore-fest of Brazil v Italy in 1994 or the Oranje thuggery against Spain in 2010.
If football is entertainment first then the climax to Russia 2018 was a show-stopper for the estimated one billion watchers worldwide.
For all the Croatian fury surrounding Ivan Perisic's handball, if it was indeed an officiating error then it was certainly nowhere as egregious as that which chalked off Frank Lampard's goal against Germany in 2010, so we have progress.
Cruel fate can still throw up a contestable goal, even in this age of technology. It is just that the chances of being a victim of an officiating injustice have just diminished.
Referee Néstor Pitana needed more than one look to decide if there had been intention and unnatural movement of a Croatian hand towards the ball, but it is hard to see how he was sure the criteria for awarding a penalty had been fully met.
In the end it was an individual's opinion which turned the match. Reasonable doubt was perhaps not applied then, but we must remember referees are human. Pitana probably will not be holidaying on the Dalmatian coast any time soon though.
This World Cup had nine goals scored in the final minute or in injury-time, more than double that of the next-highest one - Brazil 2014. Think of Belgium's counter-attack against Japan or South Korea's killer blow against Germany; there was more last-gasp drama than usual, which upped the thrill factor.
Russia 2018 seemed to be an open, fear-free tournament in general, although some group stage matches were dull and FIFA should have refunded the supporters who travelled to watch the non-aggression pacts of France v Denmark and Belgium v England.
When Germany went out in the first round in Russia and they were quickly joined in the departure lounge by Argentina, Colombia, Portugal and Spain in the Round of 16 it suddenly felt all rather novel and exciting.
There were two unexpected semi-finalists in Croatia and England but the tournament ended as World Cups usually do with a traditional power claiming the prize.
This time three blows to the old order were landed before the tournament had begun: Italy, the Netherlands, South American champions Chile and the USA missed the boat and left the lineup missing something, as USA '94 felt without England and France.
The winners in Russia were the best team in the competition, but France did not dominate in the way Germany did in 2014 or 1990, or Brazil did in 2002. They were mediocre in the first round, perhaps having the slowest opening by an eventual winner since Italy in 1982.
Then they conceded three in the Round of 16, proving they were far from the finished product, a suspicion noted by Colombia's 3-2 friendly win in Paris in March.
Kylian Mbappé scored in the final to just about satisfy the wonderkid hype but this was not Pelé in 1958 all over again - the player of the tournament was rightly the 32 year-old veteran Luka Modric.
But let us toast Les Bleus nevertheless as despite having a weaker team than in 1998, they won the cup away from the home comforts of the Stade de France.
Unlike Napoleon's Grande Armée, the French made it to Moscow and came home victorious this year.
If it was French football's finest hour, was it also the tournament's, as many are claiming?
Calling a World Cup the best ever is a common withdrawal symptom when returning to the mundane churn of daily life and the football-free desert that is pre-season after a big tournament.
The best quality football might be played in the UEFA Champions League these days but this period just after the World Cup finishes confirms just how far club competition trails behind in terms of global excitement.
World Cups mobilise entire nations because everyone has a dog in the hunt. Like a contagious virus, football fever soon infects all-comers when their nation begins to advance. When a particular side reaches a club final, not everyone from their country supports them.
The World Cup watcher also has more emotional involvement because 32 countries provoke more memories and knowledge of a team's provenance than 32 clubs can, inflating the spectating experience.
And finally the Champions League cannot serve up a fix of three or four games on a summer's day.
I heard the 'Best World Cup' refrain many times four years ago in Brazil. And I also heard it in Germany in 2006, after South Korea/Japan 2002, at France '98 and so on.
Ask someone just after a great party or wedding and in the glow of emotion they will probably tell you it was the a one-off. Rational reflection after the heady event will translate a different tale however.
But if we are going to compare World Cups then we can only really start in 1982 when the tournament expanded to 24 teams for the first time.
Previous editions of 16 nations or less had far fewer matches and the cup as a global attraction only really began in 1966 with the mass diffusion of colour television.
España '82
This was also the first one I remember well so I might be guilty of unconscious bias but I also know more than one person who swears blind it was the best of the lot.
Spain '82 had that fabulous Italy v Brazil clash in Barcelona (the Rossi hat-trick), Algeria beating West Germany (what a shock) and then the Germans' Anschluss with Austria, the Zico free kick versus Scotland and Bryan Robson's 27-second goal versus France.
Although they went out in the second round, Brazil had the most magical side since their legendary triumph of 1970 - an all-star cast of Zico, Socrates, Eder, Falcao, Cerezo and Junior with a little comedy element in Serginho and Waldir Peres.
Add to that Kuwait's protests against a French goal, Hungary's 10-1 win over El Salvador, Poland's politically-charged game with the USSR, Northern Ireland beating the hosts, Harald Schumacher's flying kick on Patrick Battiston in a great France v West Germany semi-final and Marco Tardelli's timeless goal celebration in the final.
This World Cup looks hard to beat. Its only black mark was the somewhat soporific second group stage, which FIFA thankfully ditched in time for the following World Cup.
In other words, Espana '82 was iconic, which is why we remember it well.
Mexico '86
Another good one - it had the Hand of God and Diego Maradona's slalom through England, of course, but there was also Germany pulling back two goals in the final, Gary Lineker's hat-trick against Poland, Danish dynamite and the birth of the Mexican wave.
There was also Uruguay's thuggish performance against Scotland, Spain hammering Denmark 5-1 and Belgium sharing seven goals with the Soviet Union.
The France v Brazil quarter final was a great contest too and the penalty shoot out became a regular feature of the World Cup. Although it saw the most single-handed victory in World Cup history, Mexico '86 was probably a little below 1982 in the pecking order.
Italia '90
More style than substance, Italia '90 cannot be considered the best because there was a lot of defensive and negative play, penalty shoot outs and a dreadful final.
I remember thinking at the time however it was the best World Cup because of the romantic theatre of it all: World in Motion, Toto Schilacci, Pavarotti's Nessun Dorma, Gazza's tears etc, but looking back I realise that was just delirium at England getting within shouting distance of the ultimate prize.
The ensemble was actually spoilt by dour football, fouling e.g. Cameroon on Claudio Caniggia and an appalling climax where Argentina tried to disrupt rather than win.
Even West Germany, the deserving and impressive winners, were guilty of infantile simulations to get other players in trouble - think Thomas Berthold on Paul Gascoigne in the semi final or Jurgen Klinsmann's salmon leap in the final.
Then there was their ill-tempered clash with the Dutch in Milan, notable for Frank Rijkaard's using Rudi Voller as a spitoon and earning the pair of them red cards.
Cameroon were the neutrals' favourites in Italy because African teams had never advanced so far before and in 38 year-old Roger Milla they had an exceptional old hand.
Their elimination of the talented but crazy Colombians was unforgettable as Milla dispossessed goalkeeper René Higuita upfield and scored.
Watching Eire at a first World Cup was fun too although Jack Charlton's neolithic brand of long balls and back passes was one which cannot have charmed many purists.
Iconic yes but low on quality.
USA '94
A breath of attacking fresh air despite the oppressive midday heat.
Bulgaria's eliminating of the World Champions was memorable, as were Italy's two thrilling comebacks to defeat Nigeria and Spain.
The Azzurri began with a shock loss to Ireland in the 'New York derby' but Roberto Baggio, soon improved, was devastating by the semi-final.
Romania played some skilful stuff and Sweden unexpectedly made the last four. The final was disappointingly boring however, settled by another cursed penalty shootout.
An encouraging start with a flat ending, yet it gave many Americans the soccer bug.
France '98
The best two sides made the final but the Ronaldo health scare had spooked Brazil so much that we never got the final we deserved and France cruised 3-0 to the cup.
England and Argentina fought out a great Round of 16 clash and Dennis Bergkamp scored one of the goals of all time in the quarter final but there was not a lot to write home about otherwise.
Croatia made a gallant run to the semis, dumping Germany out 3-0 while the USA and Iran played a politically tense match in Lyon. There was also depressing violence surrounding England and Germany matches.
On the field it was a good but not outstanding World Cup.
Japan/South Korea 2002
A World Cup of big shocks.
Guus Hiddink's South Korea had set a nation on fire to make the final four, Turkey also amazed by reaching the semi-final, the USA reached the last eight having beaten Portugal surprisingly and even Japan won its group.
While the atmosphere in Korea was gimchi-hot, the knockout stages were unmemorable but for the Taeguk Warriors' wins over Italy and Spain, where the referees seemed to be favouring the Reds.
Despite the upsets, World Cup 2002 ended with Brazil and Germany, the tournament's historically biggest teams in the final, and Ronaldo's redemption in a comfortable win.
An unforgettable fan experience certainly, although the football, South Korea's 'running men' apart, failed to match it.
Germany 2006
Deutschland was a perfect host in terms of organisation but the football saw a lot of hard-fought, gruelling contests as no team outshone the rest.
Argentina scored a 25-pass goal against Serbia & Montenegro, Italy finally turned on the power to beat the hosts decisively in the semi-final while only penalties separated them from France in the end.
The abiding memory of the 2006 tournament is Zinedine Zidane's headbutt on Marco Materazzi however.
Another good but not great World Cup.
South Africa 2010
The South African World Cup, to the drone of vuvuzelas in the winter, was no vintage either and witnessed an appalling final where the Netherlands went out to kick Spain.
Ghana's run to the last eight briefly fanned the flames of an African win on home soil but Luis Suarez's hand got in the way of that. Diego Forlan at 31 was a worthy Golden Ball winner.
The fan experience in a land without good public transport or many safe city centres, was one best forgotten.
Brazil 2014
Four years ago there were plenty of newspaper columns wondering why the World Cup was so full of open and attacking football.
This tournament is still pretty fresh so it is hard to see how Russia, although it was undoubtedly good, could have topped the joy and wonder of this one.
Location is important to give flavour to a World Cup and Brazil as the tropical land of Pele and beaches did have the edge over sombre Soviet history embodied by the Kremlin and other monumental pieces of architecture. We associate Russia with austere winter and Brazil with endless summer, like it or not.
2014's great games still stick in the memory:
Netherlands 5:1 Spain - Ripe revenge for the 2010 final saw the Dutch flatten the holders and Robin Van Persie flying to score an athletic diving header the like of which we had not seen before.
USA 2:2 Portugal - The Americans give Portugal a real fright until Cristiano Ronaldo's cross was turned in by Silvestre Varela in the 95th minute.
Australia 2:3 Netherlands - A Tim Cahill screamer and the Aussies take the lead but lose in the end.
Mexico 1:2 Netherlands - More Dutch drama as they are heading out until a late leveller and an Arjen Robben dive grant them controversial passage.
Colombia 2:0 Uruguay - James Rodriguez scored the goal of the tournament on his way to the Golden Boot with an exquisite chest, swivel and missile combination which drew gasps around the world.
Germany 7:1 Brazil - A semi-final so unexpected it still astounds four years later. Who on earth could have predicted the Germans would be 5-0 up at half-time against a suddenly hopeless host?
Then there was the Costa Rican ride to the quarters and Luis Suarez's bite on Giorgio Chiellini.
Brazil 2014 must be up there with the best.
And so to…
Russia 2018
A historic setting for some exhilarating games.
Portugal 3:3 Spain - The oft-criticised group stage served up some haute cuisine in the form of an Iberian derby of top-drawer football which drew worldwide plaudits and announced the 2018 World Cup as a premier competition.
Mexico 1:0 Germany - The first big shock of the cup saw the holders lose to the passionate El Tri who got the tournament ball rolling.
South Korea 2:0 Germany - The coup de grace for Jogi Low's men saw them lose their crown in comical fashion as Manuel Neuer performed an impression of Rene Higuita, right down to losing the ball upfield so the opposition could score and knock his side out.
Uruguay 2:0 Portugal - Cristiano Ronaldo took second billing to a stunning brace from Edinson Cavani, who alas went off injured and missed his country's quarter final.
France 4:3 Argentina - Seven goals was great entertainment. Lionel Messi maybe played his last World Cup match, Kylian Mbappe arrived on the biggest stage and Angel Di Maria scored a screamer.
Belgium 3:2 Japan - A rip-roaring Round of 16 clash between two distinct styles of football saw the Belgians pull back a two-goal deficit to win with a last-gasp counter-attack. Terrific stuff.
Any clearer? I am edging towards Brazil 2014 as a superior World Cup to 2018, which can console itself with boasting perhaps the best final.
Those calling Russia the greatest ever however are like those opinion polls for greatest record ever which are stuffed with recent chart hits from ephemeral artists.
Fresh memories will always dominate.
Emotion infects recollection but should still be given its due. Without its generation football is a purely scientific exercise. Remove the passion and what have we left?
So to conclude, 1982 and 2014 are my favourite World Cups with 2018 third and 1994 fourth.
2018 should certainly be classed as one of the best.
Spasibo Russia.
Now let us see what winter 2022 in Qatar brings us.
© Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile
Russia Travel Information
Map of Russia - shows the venue cities of the 2018 World Cup.
Nevsky Prospekt - Saint Petersburg's most famous street.
St Petersburg Contemporary Art Scene - modern art in Saint Petersburg.
Saint Petersburg In Winter - see the best of Russia's second city in the snow.