The 2018 FIFA World Cup: A Thrilling Tournament
The Final Match
The 2018 FIFA World Cup final was the culmination of a thrilling tournament, with France emerging victorious over Croatia in a 4-2 victory. The match was played in front of a sold-out crowd at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia.
Match Highlights
The match was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams having chances to win. France took the lead early in the second half through Antoine Griezmann's penalty kick, but Croatia equalized just minutes later through Ivan Perišić.
France regained the lead in the 65th minute through Paul Pogba's stunning strike, but Croatia again equalized in the 78th minute through Mario Mandžukić. However, France would not be denied, and Kylian Mbappé scored twice in the final minutes to seal the victory.
The Knockout Stage
The knockout stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup was filled with excitement and drama. Several matches went into extra time and penalty shootouts, and there were several upsets.
Memorable Matches
One of the most memorable matches of the knockout stage was the semi-final between England and Croatia. England took an early lead, but Croatia came back to win 2-1 in extra time. This was England's first appearance in the semi-finals of the World Cup since 1990.
Another memorable match was the quarter-final between Brazil and Belgium. Brazil was heavily favored to win, but Belgium pulled off a stunning 2-1 victory. This was Brazil's first defeat in a World Cup quarter-final since 1998.
The Group Stage
The group stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup was also full of surprises. Several teams that were expected to do well, such as Argentina and Germany, failed to advance to the knockout stage.
Group Stage Standouts
One of the standout teams of the group stage was Russia. The host nation surprised many by winning their group and advancing to the knockout stage. Russia eventually reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to Croatia on penalties.
Another team that impressed in the group stage was Croatia. Croatia won their group and advanced to the knockout stage, where they eventually reached the final.
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