feedmemore37's FIFA World Cup

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Match Day 23:

Match 62, France vs Belgium

Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow; Attendance: 78,011
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey); Semi-Final

Lineups:

France (4-2-3-1):

1. Hugo Lloris (c)
2. Benjamin Pavard, 4. Raphael Varane, 5. Samuel Umtiti, 21. Lucas Hernandez
12. Corentin Tolisso, 6. Paul Pogba
10. Kylian Mbappe, 7. Antoine Griezmann, 14. Blaise Matuidi
9. Olivier Giroud
Manager: Didier Deschamps

Belgium (4-2-3-1):

1. Thibaut Courtois
22. Nacer Chadli, 2. Toby Alderweireld, 4. Vincent Kompany, 5. Jan Vertonghen
6. Axel Witsel, 19. Mousa Dembele
7. Kevin De Bruyne, 11. Yannick Carrasco, 10. Eden Hazard (c)
9. Romelu Lukaku
Manager: Roberto Martinez

Game Log:

6' E. Hazard, Yellow Card, Belgium
52' P. Pogba, Yellow Card, France
72' V. Kompany, Yellow Card, Belgium
79' C. Tolisso, Goal, France 1-0
83' B. Pavard > P. Kimpembe, Substitution, France
89' N. Chadli > L. Dendoncker, Substitution, Belgium
89' K. Mbappe > O. Dembele, Substitution, France
Result: France W 1-0 / Man of the Match: Olivier Giroud (France)

Injury Report

2018 FIFA World Cup Injuries
Pos	Player	Injury Note
CF	Dries Mertens (Belgium)	Dislocated Shoulder (8 weeks)
CM	Marouane Fellaini (Belgium)	Knee injury (3 weeks)

Note: Only players from teams not eliminated or still to play are included in the injury report.

Up Next: Semi-Finals Review

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Semi-Finals Review:

Results:

1A vs 2H: Russia def. by Poland 1-2
2C vs 2G: France def. Belgium 1-0

Match Outcomes and Major Stories:

• Russia vs Poland: The matchup between two underdogs was widely considered the better semi-final, as we had home nation Russia vying to win the World Cup on their own turf and absolute underdog Poland, who had never reached a final before, looking to see their first. Poland scored first but the young team full of old heads knew they still had a long way to go, before Fyodor Smolov would score the equaliser for the home nation with just over a third of the match to play. Both teams took chance after chance before Arkadiusz Milik would score a belter in the 81st minute to clinch the lead for Poland, who held on for their life for the remaining ten minutes. The Pole's fought their hearts out and all collapsed when the game was over, moving to their first World Cup final.
• France vs Belgium: In what was widely predicted to be the final of the 2018 World Cup, the French vs Belgian matchup was seen as possibly the most exciting match people could hope for. Instead, the match between the two star nations was a slug fest with multiple yellow cards handed out and saves left, right and centre from Hugo Lloris and Thibaut Courtois. Both teams looked to be taking no risks as they both continued to run out of time before an amazing attacking display by Corentin Tolisso would score the French the first and final goal of the match. They French celebrated like they had won, knowing their final match would be much easier as they would make their first final in 36 years.
• Awards: The Golden Boot race is now very close in two as Piotr Zielinski would score once again to continue his amazing tournament, as he trails Eden Hazard by one with both men having one game to play. The two men are also the two favourites for the Golden Ball, being classes above any of the eliminated players in the tournament. Hugo Lloris has looked like the keeper to power out to the top of the Golden Glove, getting his third clean sheet against Russia, but the race is not over yet as all of the other three teams have goalkeepers with two clean sheets. As both underdogs won their respective semi-finals, France are now massive favourites to take home the trophy, as it would be a worldwide shock if Poland somehow upset the French.
• Statistics: Six more yellow cards were handed out in the semi-finals, as the total now reaches 78. Three more men would receive their second yellow of the tournament, with those men being Maciej Rybus, Paul Pogba and Eden Hazard. The injury list is still only two men, both being from Belgium.

Up Next: Third Place Playoff and Final Preview

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Third Place Playoff and Final Preview:

Bracket

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Fixtures

Match Day 24-Third Place Playoff:

Russia vs Belgium, 1A vs 2G, Krestovsky Stadium, 17:00 MSK

Match Day 25-Final:

Poland vs France, 2H vs 2C, Luzhniki Stadium, 18:00 MSK

Match Previews

• Third Place Playoff: As always it's sad to watch this match, two teams that took every step possible both couldn't reach their final one. First we have Russia, the home nation who have improved dramatically since their group stage games. At one stage they were doubted to even make it out of the group but their wins that have followed have been amazing. They were ten minutes away from a home World Cup Final but it wasn't to be. Then we have the former tournament favourites, the team that were thought to win it all, the golden age Belgian's. Also only ten minutes away from a final berth, France out toughed them, but Belgium have been strong all tournament and will look to seek revenge for their loss with a big win to gain third.
• 2018 FIFA World Cup Final: This is what everyone has been waiting for, the main event! Not the most expected of finals but an amazing one at that, the rise of the Polish team full of young stars lead by an absolute winner in Robert Lewandowski, against the full team of stars, the French nation. Poland are looking for their first ever World Cup win, in what would be the ultimate upset. France are looking for their second trophy in what will be their third final. In what could be the biggest opportunity of many of these men's careers there will be nothing left on the Luzhniki Stadium come the final whistle, which leads us to the main question. Who will win? We will have to wait and see...

Up Next: Match Day 24-Third Place Playoff

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Match Day 24:

Match 63, Russia vs Belgium

Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg; Attendance: 64,406
Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran); Third Place Playoff

Lineups:

Russia (4-2-3-1):

1. Igor Akinfeev (c)
2. Mario Fernandes, 4. Sergei Ignashevich, 21. Aleksandr Yerokhin, 18. Yuri Zhirkov
9. Alan Dzagoev, 11. Roman Zobnin
19. Aleksandr Samedov, 15. Aleksei Miranchuk, 17. Aleksandr Golovin
10. Fyodor Smolov
Manager: Stanislav Cherchesov

Belgium (3-4-2-1):

1. Thibaut Courtois
2. Toby Alderweireld, 4. Vincent Kompany, 5. Jan Vertonghen
15. Thomas Meunier, 17. Youri Tielemans, 6. Axel Witsel, 22. Nacer Chadli
7. Kevin De Bruyne, 10. Eden Hazard (c)
9. Romelu Lukaku
Manager: Roberto Martinez

Game Log:

45' N. Chadli > Y. Carrasco, Substitution, Belgium
56' Y. Tielemans > M. Dembele, Substitution, Belgium
63' A. Dzagoev, Yellow Card, Russia
72' A. Golovin > D. Cheryshev, Substitution, Russia
80' T. Alderweireld, Red Card, Belgium
84' A. Miranchuk, Goal, Russia 1-0
90' A. Miranchuk, Goal (2), Russia 2-0
90' A. Samedov > D. Kuzyaev, Substitution, Russia
Result: Russia W 2-0 / Man of the Match: Aleksei Miranchuk (Russia)

Up Next: Road to the Finals

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Road to the Finals:

We are under an hour away from the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final, so let's take a look at how the teams got here and how they will lineup at 6PM.

Bracket

2018 FIFA World Cup Knockout Stage.jpg

How They Got Here:

Poland

Group Stage (Group H 2nd):
19-6-18, L vs Senegal 0-2
24-6-18, Draw vs Colombia 1-1
28-6-18, W vs Japan 0-2

Round of 16: 2-7-18, W vs England 1-2
Quarter-Finals: 6-7-18, W vs Mexico 0-2
Semi-Finals: 10-7-18, W vs Russia 1-2

France

Group Stage (Group C 2nd):
16-6-18, W vs Australia 3-0
21-6-18, Draw vs Peru 1-1
26-6-18, L vs Denmark 1-0

Round of 16: 1-7-18, W vs Nigeria 1-3
Quarter-Finals: 7-7-18, W vs Portugal 0-2
Semi-Finals: 11-7-18, W vs Belgium 1-0

Lineups:

Poland

In: None
Out: None

France

In: N'Golo Kante
Out: Corentin Tolisso

Up Next: Match Day 25-2014 FIFA World Cup Final

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Match Day 25; 2018 FIFA World Cup Final:

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Match 64, Poland vs France

Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow; Attendance: 78,011
Referee: Nestor Pitana (Argentina); Final

Lineups:

Poland (4-2-3-1):

22. Lukasz Fabianski
20. Lukasz Piszczek, 15. Kamil Glik, 2. Michal Pazdan, 13. Maciej Rybus
10. Grzegorz Krychowiak, 8. Karol Linetty
16. Jakub Blaszczykowski, 19. Piotr Zielinski, 7. Arkadiusz Milik
9. Robert Lewandowski (c)
Manager: Adam Nawalka

France (4-2-3-1):

1. Hugo Lloris (c)
2. Benjamin Pavard, 4. Raphael Varane, 5. Samuel Umtiti, 21. Lucas Hernandez
6. Paul Pogba, 13. N'Golo Kante
10. Kylian Mbappe, 7. Antoine Griezmann, 14. Blaise Matuidi
9. Olivier Giroud
Manager: Didier Deschamps

Game Log:

10' L. Hernandez, Injury, France
12. A. Griezmann, Goal, France 1-0
32. K. Glik, Yellow Card, Poland
45' L. Hernandez > B. Mendy, Substitution, France
71' J. Blaszczykowski > K. Grosicki, Substitution, Poland
72' K. Glik, Goal, Poland 1-1
87' K. Mbappe > O. Dembele, Substitution, France
88' A. Milik > B. Bereszynski, Substitution, Poland
90' K. Linetty, Goal, Poland 2-1
Result: Poland W 2-1 / Man of the Match: Kamil Glik (Poland)

POLAND ARE YOUR 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS!

Up Next: Third Place Playoff and Final Review

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Third Place Playoff and Final Review:

Results:

Third Place Playoff: Russia def. Belgium 2-0
Final: Poland def. France 2-1

Final Bracket:

2018 FIFA World Cup Knockout Stage.jpeg

In-Depth Match Outcomes:

• Third Place Playoff-Russia vs Belgium: As always with the third place playoff games, both teams still have something to fight for. Everyone wants to go home winning their last game and even though this isn't the last game either team would of hoped for they still battled with all they had. Talk was around about who both teams would start but they both stayed very similar to their previous games. The first half provided nothing but defense from the Russian's and aggression from Belgium, who were trying to earn their reputation back after their loss to France. After 80 minutes there was still nothing to be seen before a ridiculous challenge from Toby Alderweireld would earn himself a red card and the home nation a great chance from a free kick. From the free kick Russia started taking many more risks before an amazing cross would be headed in by Aleksei Miranchuk as the stadium roared. Belgium then began playing stupidly and making mistakes only having under five minutes to score the equaliser as Miranchuk would once again take over this time with an amazing strike straight past Thibaut Courtois in the 90th minute. Russia then played the possession game before the final whistle and celebrated like they were champions, as Belgium looked distraught, going from World Cup favourites to fourth place in only a matter of two games.
• Final-Poland vs France: In what was definitely not expected, what an amazing final this turned out to be. We have the absolute underdogs, Poland, a nation counted out to even make it out of Group H before getting past England and other rivals on the way, against a world class nation France, who looked to dominate until late in the group stage as questions started to hang over their head. Poland have never made it this far before. France have one trophy in their cabinet and are making their third appearance, the first time in 36 years. It was touted as a match full of future stars, Lewandowski, Milik and Zielinski on one side against Mbappe, Dembele and Pogba. Only one change was recorded and a shock at that, with the French swapping out their previous game-winner Corentin Tolisso for N'Golo Kante. Of course, France were the heavy favourites. It started quick and very fast paced, both teams trying to attack any way they could before it slowed down as Lucas Hernandez limped off the field, injuring his leg in a challenge. Minutes later, Antoine Griezmann would open the score book with an amazing strike straight past Lukasz Fabianski. France would take chance after chance to double their lead as the Polish defense held off with heavy hits and big tackles coming from Glik, Pazdan and Rybus, one resulting in a yellow card for Glik. After the half-time break France looked to slow the game down and keep it from the Pole's and open any gaps, as Poland got more and more desperate. The Polish again was working well once again with resulting in multiple corners before Kamil Glik would score a header out of nowhere. It's all tied up again! France then began pouring the pressure on once looking for quick attacks as Poland struggled to keep up. It was a matter of when France would score now not if. As we get to the final minute of actual time a France attack has gone amiss, Glik to Zielinski, Zielinski to Milik, Milik passes to Karol Linetty, Linetty is off on the counter, he shoots, it's gone straight past Lloris. KAROL LINETTY HAS SCORED IN THE 90TH MINUTE, POLAND HAVE THE LEAD! The stadium was almost in shock as were the French but Poland had completely lost it, the bench erupted, Linetty couldn't move as he was ambushed by the entire squad and coaches. France tried in the small amount of time left but they couldn't get there and there it is the final whistle. Poland, the ultimate underdog, the team to have never reached the final have done it, the Polish are world champions. French players collapsed with their head in hands as the Polish squad were given an extra dose of energy, they've gone mad. Kamil Glik and Karol Linetty would be seen in the eyes of fellow countrymen as heroes as they had clawed their way and put the nation on their back in the most important game, and captain Robert Lewandowski had tears in his eyes as he completed the impossible. Lewandowski lifted the trophy and the stadium roared, Poland have done it. In a world cup style ending we couldn't of asked any more from, we hope to see you in another four years in Qatar for another historic world cup. Thank you once again for tuning in and witnessing history here in Russia. THE ULTIMATE UNDERDOG: POLAND ARE YOUR 2018 WORLD CUP WINNERS! Something never thought to be seen, but that is the headline worldwide.

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Polish players go mad after Karol Linetty scores his 90th minute winner.

Up Next: 2018 FIFA World Cup Review

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2018 FIFA World Cup Review

The 2018 FIFA World Cup was an international football tournament contested by men's national teams and took place between 14 June and 15 July 2018 in Russia. It was the 21st FIFA World Cup, a worldwide football tournament held once every four years. It was the 11th time the championships had been held in Europe, and the first time they were held in Eastern Europe. At an estimated cost of over $14.2 billion, it was the most expensive World Cup to date.

The finals involved 32 teams, of which 31 came through qualifying competitions, while as the host nation Russia qualified automatically. Of the 32, 20 had also appeared in the 2014 event, while both Iceland and Panama made their first appearances at the World Cup. 64 matches were played in 12 venues across 11 cities. Argentina, the defending champions, were eliminated in the quarter-finals. Host nation Russia was eliminated in the semi-finals, but would go on to beat Belgium and finish in third place. In the final, Poland played France on 15 July at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. Poland won the match 2-1 to claim their first world cup.

The event featured a number of accolades. Polish player Piotr Zielinski was voted the tournament's best player winning the Golden Ball. Belgium’s Eden Hazard scored the most goals during the tournament with six. Igor Akinfeev won the Golden Glove awarded to the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets. The event was praised for the quality of football but criticised for being a distraction from doping allegations and public relations within Russia. It has been estimated that more than three million people attended games during the tournament.

Group Stage

Group A:

2018 FIFA World Cup Group A
TEAM	GP	W	D	L	PTS
Russia	3	1	1	1	4 (0)
Saudi Arabia	3	1	1	1	4 (0)
Egypt	3	1	1	1	4 (0)
Uruguay	3	1	1	1	4 (0)

14-6-18: Russia draw w/ Saudi Arabia 2-2
15-6-18: Egypt draw w/ Uruguay 1-1
19-6-18: Russia def. by Egypt 1-2
20-6-18: Uruguay def. Saudi Arabia 2-1
25-6-18: Uruguay def. by Russia 0-1
25-6-18: Saudi Arabia def. Egypt 1-0

Group B:

2018 FIFA World Cup Group B
TEAM	GP	W	D	L	PTS
Portugal	3	2	1	0	7 (+5)
Morocco	3	1	1	1	4 (0)
Iran	3	1	0	2	3 (-2)
Spain	3	1	0	2	3 (-3)

15-6-18: Morocco def. Iran 3-2
15-6-18: Portugal def. Spain 2-0
20-6-18: Portugal draw w/ Morocco 1-1
20-6-18: Iran def. Spain 2-0
25-6-18: Iran def. by Portugal 1-4
25-6-18: Spain def. Morocco 2-1

Group C:

2018 FIFA World Cup Group C
TEAM	GP	W	D	L	PTS
Australia	3	2	0	1	6 (0)
France	3	1	1	1	4 (+2)
Peru	3	1	1	1	4 (-1)
Denmark	3	1	0	2	3 (-1)

16-6-18: France def. Australia 3-0
16-6-18: Peru def. Denmark 2-1
21-6-18: Denmark def. by Australia 1-2
21-6-18: France draw w/ Peru 1-1
26-6-18: Denmark def. France 1-0
26-6-18: Australia def. Peru 2-0

Group D:

2018 FIFA World Cup Group D
TEAM	GP	W	D	L	PTS
Nigeria	3	2	1	0	7 (+2)
Argentina	3	1	1	1	4 (+1)
Croatia	3	1	1	1	4 (-1)
Iceland	3	0	1	2	1 (-2)

16-6-18: Argentina draw w/ Iceland 0-0
16-6-18: Croatia draw w/ Nigeria 1-1
21-6-18: Argentina def. Croatia 2-0
22-6-18: Nigeria def. Iceland 1-0
26-6-18: Nigeria def. Argentina 2-1
26-6-18: Iceland def. by Croatia 1-2

Group E:

2018 FIFA World Cup Group E
TEAM	GP	W	D	L	PTS
Switzerland	3	2	1	0	7 (+3)
Costa Rica	3	1	1	1	4 (0)
Serbia	3	0	2	1	2 (-1)
Brazil	3	0	2	1	2 (-2)

17-6-18: Costa Rica def. Serbia 2-1
17-6-18: Brazil def. by Switzerland 0-2
22-6-18: Brazil draw w/ Costa Rica 1-1
22-6-18: Serbia draw w/ Switzerland 1-1
27-6-18: Serbia draw w/ Brazil 2-2
27-6-18: Switzerland def. Costa Rica 1-0

Group F:

2018 FIFA World Cup Group F
TEAM	GP	W	D	L	PTS
Sweden	3	2	0	1	6 (+1)
Mexico	3	1	1	1	4 (0)
South Korea	3	1	1	1	4 (-2)
Germany	3	1	0	2	3 (+1)

17-6-18: Germany def. by Mexico 0-1
18-6-18: Sweden def. South Korea 4-1
23-6-18: South Korea draw w/ Mexico 2-2
23-6-18: Germany def. Sweden 3-0
27-6-18: South Korea def. Germany 1-0
27-6-18: Mexico def. by Sweden 2-3

Group G:

2018 FIFA World Cup Group G
TEAM	GP	W	D	L	PTS
England	3	2	1	0	7 (+5)
Belgium	3	2	1	0	7 (+3)
Panama	3	0	1	2	1 (-3)
Tunisia	3	0	1	2	1 (-5)

18-6-18: Belgium def. Panama 3-2
18-6-18: Tunisia def. by England 1-4
23-6-18: Belgium def. Tunisia 2-0
24-6-18: England def. Panama 2-0
28-6-18: England draw w/ Belgium 1-1
28-6-18: Panama draw w/ Tunisia 3-3

Group H:

2018 FIFA World Cup Group H
TEAM	GP	W	D	L	PTS
Senegal	3	2	1	0	7 (+3)
Poland	3	1	1	1	4 (0)
Colombia	3	0	2	1	2 (-1)
Japan	3	0	2	1	2 (-2)

19-6-14: Colombia draw w/ Japan 1-1
19-6-14: Poland def. by Senegal 0-2
24-6-14: Japan draw w/ Senegal 1-1
24-6-14: Poland draw w/ Colombia 1-1
28-6-14: Japan def. by Poland 0-2
28-6-14: Senegal def. Colombia 2-1

Knockout Stage

Round of 16:

30-6-18: Australia def. by Argentina 1-3 (a.e.t.)
30-6-18: Russia def. Morocco 2-1 (a.e.t.)
1-7-18: Portugal def. Saudi Arabia 3-0
1-7-18: Nigeria def. by France 1-3
2-7-18: Switzerland def. by Mexico 0-1
2-7-18: England def. by Poland 1-2
3-7-18: Sweden def. by Costa Rica 0-1
3-7-18: Senegal def. by Belgium 1-3

Quarter-Finals:

6-7-18: Russia def. Argentina 1-0
6-7-18: Mexico def. by Poland 0-2
7-7-18: Costa Rica def. by Belgium 0-3
7-7-18: Portugal def. by France 0-2

Semi-Finals:

10-7-18: Russia def. by Poland 1-2
11-7-18: France def. Belgium 1-0

Third Place Playoff:

14-7-18: Russia def. Belgium 2-0

Final:

15-7-18: Poland def. France 2-1

Statistics

Goalscorers:

There were 166 goals scored in 64 matches, for an average of 2.59 goals per match.

Only one own goal was scored during the tournament, half of the previous amount in 2014.

6 Goals:

Eden Hazard (Belgium)

5 Goals:

Piotr Zielinski (Poland), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

3 Goals:

Bryan Ruiz (Costa Rica), Harry Kane (England), Ousmane Dembele (France), Antoine Griezmann (France), Sardar Azmoun (Iran), Carlos Vela (Mexico), Marcus Berg (Sweden)

2 Goals:

Lionel Messi (Argentina), Nicolas Otamendi (Argentina), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium), Paulinho (Brazil), Falcao (Colombia), Mohamed Salah (Egypt), Kyle Walker (England), Marcus Rashford (England), Corentin Tolisso (France), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Iran), Son Heung Min (South Korea), Ayoub El Kaabi (Morocco), Kelechi Iheanacho (Nigeria), Anibal Godoy (Panama), Edgar Barcenas (Panama), Kamil Glik (Poland), Robert Lewandowski (Poland), William Carvalho (Portugal), Goncalo Guedes (Portugal), Alexey Miranchuk (Russia), Hussain Al Moqahwi (Saudi Arabia), Mame Diouf (Senegal), Ola Toivonen (Sweden), Wahbi Khazri (Tunisia)

1 Goal:

Javier Mascherano (Argentina), Eduardo Salvio (Argentina), Mile Jedinak (Australia), Robbie Kruse (Australia), Matthew Leckie (Australia), Andrew Nabbout (Australia), Tom Rogic (Australia), Yannick Carruso (Belgium), Adnan Januzaj (Belgium), Romelu Lukaku (Belgium), Jan Vertonghen (Belgium), Gabriel Jesus (Brazil), Carlos Sanchez (Colombia), Johan Venegas (Costa Rica), Vedran Corluka (Croatia), Andrej Kramaric (Croatia), Marko Pjaca (Croatia), Andreas Cornelius (Denmark), Viktor Fischer (Denmark), Yussuf Poulsen (Denmark), Abdallah El-Said (Egypt), Raheem Sterling (England), Olivier Giroud (France), Blaise Matuidi (France), Samuel Umtiti (France), Jerome Boateng (Germany), Mario Gomez (Germany), Thomas Muller (Germany), Emil Hallfredsson (Iceland), Shinji Kagawa (Japan), Yuya Osako (Japan), Ki Sung Yueng (South Korea), Ju Se Jong (South Korea), Javier Hernandez (Mexico), Miguel Layun (Mexico), Raul Jimenez (Mexico), Younes Belhanda (Morocco), Khalid Boutaib (Morocco), Amine Harit (Morocco), Victor Moses (Nigeria), Ahmed Musa (Nigeria), Onyinye Ndida (Nigeria), Gabriel Torres (Panama), Christian Cueva (Peru), Jefferson Farfan (Peru), Edison Flores (Peru), Karol Linetty (Poland), Arkadiusz Milik (Poland), Pepe (Portugal), Alan Dzagoev (Russia), Artem Dzyuba (Russia), Mario Fernandes (Russia), Alexandr Golovin (Russia), Sergei Ignashevich (Russia), Ilya Kutepov (Russia), Fedor Smolov (Russia), Alexandr Yerokhin (Russia), Salem Al Dawsari (Saudi Arabia), Mohammed Al Sahlawi (Saudi Arabia), Idrissa Gueye (Senegal), Cheikhou Kouyate (Senegal), Sadio Mane (Senegal), M'Baye Niang (Senegal), Branislav Ivanovic (Serbia), Nemanja Matic (Serbia), Aleksandar Mitrovic (Serbia), Milos Veljkovic (Serbia), Isco (Spain), David Silva (Spain), Albin Ekdal (Sweden), Pontus Jansson (Sweden), Valon Behrami (Switzerland), Breel Embolo (Switzerland), Haris Seferovic (Switzerland), Steven Zuber (Switzerland), Ferjani Sassi (Tunisia), Naim Sliti (Tunisia), Edinson Cavani (Uruguay), Cristhian Stuani (Uruguay), Matias Vecino (Uruguay)

1 Own Goal:

Alireza Beiranvand (Iran, against Morocco)

Discipline

The 2018 FIFA World Cup had a total of 80 yellow cards and a total of five red cards. The first yellow card of the tournament was handed to Salem Al Dawsari of Saudi Arabia against Russia while the first red card of the tournament was handed to Romain Saiss of Morocco against Spain. The teams with the most and least yellow cards were France and Poland with seven and Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, Nigeria and Sweden, all with zero.

Awards:

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament. The Golden Boot (top scorer), Golden Ball (best overall player) and Golden Glove (best goalkeeper) awards were all sponsored by Adidas.

2018 FIFA World Cup Awards.png

Dream Team

As was the case during the 2010 and 2014 editions, FIFA did not release an official All-Star Team, but instead invited users of FIFA.com to elect their Fan Dream Team.

Goalkeepers
Igor Akinfeev (Russia)

Defenders
Lucas Hernandez (France)
Sergei Ignashevich (Russia)
Raphael Varane (France)
Mario Fernandes (Russia)

Midfielders
Denis Cheryshev (Russia)
Piotr Zielinski (Poland)
Roman Zobnin (Russia)

Forwards
Eden Hazard (Belgium)
Antoine Griezmann (France)
Aleksandr Samedov (Russia)

Manager
Adam Nawalka (Poland)

FIFA also published an alternate team of the tournament based on player performances evaluated through statistical data.

Goalkeepers
Igor Akinfeev (Russia)

Defenders
Mario Fernandes (Russia)
Samuel Umtiti (France)
Pepe (Portugal)
Sergei Ignashevich (Russia)

Midfielders
Piotr Zielinski (Poland)
William Carvalho (Portugal)
John Obi Mikel (Nigeria)

Forwards
Eden Hazard (Belgium)
Aleksandr Samedov (Russia)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

Prize Money

Prize money amounts were announced in October 2017.

2018 FIFA World Cup Prizemoney.png

Final Standings

As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.

2018 FIFA World Cup Final Standings.png

And there we have it, this edition of the 2018 FIFA World Cup is finally complete. Once again I hope all readers enjoyed and this was a good experience, it was full of a lot of hard work especially getting back into it after nearly two years off. Definitely an unexpected result that happened but it was great to play through and see an underdog win the trophy. I will be continuing this for the next edition in 2022 and hopefully it is bigger than ever and I can gain a big following with lots of responses etc. Anyways, I am currently working on something new and I hope to continue playing through these tournaments and create some more interest. What I have planned will be coming in a few days, until next time!