No event escalates individuals to the status of national hero or global villain as dramatically as the World Cup. The idolatry that follows success and the stigma that follows failure are woven into the fabric of history, and the repercussions will typically follow footballers for the rest of their lives. Daily, we’ll take a look at who played the role of hero and who played the role of villain at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Many soccer fans are predicting that France is going to win the 2018 World Cup, and with good reason. But, before they can start thinking about lifting the trophy, they have to get past Australia first.
Lloris; Mendy, Varane, Umtiti, Sidibe; Pogba, Kanté, Matuidi; Mbappé, Griezmann, Dembélé
While World Cup expectations can vary from country to country and player to player, every individual who puts on his national team jersey feels pressure to perform for his country.
In spite of this, there are some generational talents who will be responsible for carrying the hopes of an entire nation this summer. Here's a list of the players under the most pressure for Russia 2018.
Cristiano Ronaldo has finally arrived at a World Cup. Sure, he’s scored at the last three tournaments, but the goals came against inferior competition. The Ronaldo hat trick vs Spain was one of the Portugal striker’s greatest moments for his country, as the Iberian derby finished in a 3-3 draw on Friday in Russia.
Anyone else hungry for nachos? I mean, I’m always hungry for nachos, but something about that Nacho goal vs Portugal has me even hungrier that usual.
The first half of the Portugal-Spain matchup was absolutely bonkers. But the second half didn’t peter out like the first season of Westworld (I haven’t watched Season 2, so no spoilers).
THE WORLD CUP IS BACK, PEOPLE!
The most anticipated matchup in the group stage didn’t waste any time getting the people going. It has lived up to the hype. We’ve gotten:
Vintage Cristiano step overs. Cristiano earning a PK with said stepovers. Two VAR instances. Diego Costa giving Pepe a forearm shiver. Diego Costa playing the Portuguese defense like a fiddle. An Isco shot off the bar that needed goal-line technology. And a shocking howler from David de Gea
At halftime, it was 2-1 Portugal.
Let’s get to the Spain vs Portugal goals footage:
Months after the USMNT failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, a new wave of headlines confirming "US Not In World Cup 2018" has dampened the mood of America's casual soccer fans who tune into three or four games every four years.
News of the U.S. joint bid with Mexico and Canada winning the rights to host the 2026 World Cup has given those fans something to be excited about, but the USMNT's absence from this year's World Cup is nonetheless disappointing.
Iran versus Morocco was awful. The return of the vuvuzela. The vintage Carlos Queiroz approach. The feeling that I really misguided folks by praising Moroccan attackers Amine Harit and Hakim Ziyech before the match.
John Green, author of “The Fault in Our Stars,” delightful YouTube talent and shameless Liverpool supporter, may want to be careful about what he wishes for — vuvuzelas are back.
During the Uruguay-Egypt match to start Friday’s World Cup action, during which there were a lot of empty seats in the middle of the park, likely where wealthy Russians should be sitting, Green lamented about the atmosphere.
Morocco opened the World Cup with a match that, on paper, appeared the least interesting of Friday’s matches. But that was before the internet set sights on Morocco coach Hervé Renard.