Football Ground Map
Football Ground Map
Considering it has been the most recent World Cup being played, the memories of 2018 are still fresh in every football fan's mind.
And while recency bias may deem modern events better than they actually are, the megaevent in Russia was a spectacle to behold.
The unpredictability, sensational individual performances, and team spirit created one of the best sporting events in football history, supported aptly by fans backing their team to win and looking for the best online casino australia.
There was a changing of the guard in world football, the emergence of unlikely heroes, and the demise of other stalwarts as the world witnessed a classic tournament.
The 2018 World Cup couldn't have started any better as Portugal and Spain entertained the crowd in their first encounter.
A Cristiano Ronaldo hat trick meant that the 2016 European champions took a point against the 2010 World Cup winners.
Just like the previous two World Cup campaigns, the defending champions got knocked out in the group stages. After losing against Mexico and South Korea, the German team was unexpectedly shown the door.
On the other hand, Croatia's golden generation kept on plugging away as they smashed Argentina to confirm their place in the last 16.
In the knockout stages, France and Argentina played arguably the match of the competition as the 1998 winners held their nerve to prove how they were the favourites to win the world title.
Meanwhile, England's modern era of stars had brought belief within the English fans. In the round of 16, they won their first-ever penalty shootout in any FIFA competition as they edged Colombia.
After easing past Sweden, the Three Lions booked their place in the semi-finals against Croatia. In the other semi-final, Belgium played France.
The first semi-final was a pretty dull encounter as France secured a 1-0 win courtesy of Samuel Umtiti's header - a great result for French fans looking for meilleurs jeux de casino.
The second semi-final though had it all as Croatia came back from a goal down to beat England 2-1 in extra time. A dejected England never turned up against Belgium in the third-place match as Eden Hazard tore them apart.
The final between France and Croatia had everything. A Mario Mandzukic own goal was quickly cancelled out by Ivan Perisic in the first half. However, Griezmann's penalty ensured that the men in blue restored their lead.
In the second half, Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe combined as the Manchester United midfielder slotted home the third. The fourth came within a few minutes as Kylian Mbappe scored a scorcher to become the youngest scorer in a World Cup final since Pele.
Mandzukic could only score a consolation as France held on to win their second-ever World Cup.
Two players stood out in the World Cup above everyone else.
The performances of Luka Modric proved to be the calming influence for Croatia propelling them to the World Cup final.
He created chances, stepped up from the spot, and captained the golden generation of Croatian Football on the world stage.
On the other hand, Mbappe became the first teenager since Pele to score four goals in the World Cup. His goal in the final clinched the title for Les Bleus.
There was a definite change of guard in the footballing world as Portugal and Argentina both exited the tournament on June 30 after losses to France and Uruguay sending both CR7 and Messi home.
All in all, it was a tournament that gave us new stars, proved to be a reality check for the rusty giants, and entertained us all beyond measure.
Tony Incenzo has been to over 2,000 football grounds - is he the world's barmiest football fan? Read about his love for Non-League football and groundhopping obsession, including watching a match in prison!
An in-depth look at the biggest football attendances ever recorded, from the 1950 World Cup to pre-season friendlies in the States and the Scottish ground with dozens of 100,000+ attendances
My daughter's first ever football match - Orlando City v Atlanta United, August 2019. Written for Izzy to read when she gets old enough. Vamos Orlando
All good things have to come to an end, and the same unfortunately has to be said for football stadiums too. This article looks at the grounds which are soon to host their last match, the stadiums whose days are numbered and where fans will be watching their football from next.
