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2018 Fifa World Cup Russia:repeated History And The Broken Curses-fifa by GRhymes: 10:49pm On Jul 18, 2018 |
Once again champions
left the World Cup early
Mexico and Nigeria
frustrations persisted
England ended long-
running jinx
You will struggle to find
anyone who believes the
2018 FIFA World Cup
Russia™ was predictable.
Big names tumbling early,
unlikely runs to the latter
stages and a few major
upsets made sure of that.
But, in many ways it
exactly was that:
predictable. Let us guide
you through a few of the
surprising World Cup
trends that just insist on
sticking which played out
during 31 days of
excitement.
However, some well-worn
patterns finally came to an
end, much to the relief of
two teams.
Repeated history
Early departures for
European holders
It almost seems
unbelievable, but
Germany's 'premature' exit
in Russia – if recent history
is to be believed – wasn't
so extraordinary after all.
Ever since the turn of the
millennium, no returning
champion from Europe has
made it past the group
stages.
Once is a surprise, twice is
a shock, but four times?
Twenty years ago it would
have been impossible to
fathom. France (winners in
1998), Italy (2006), Spain
(2010) and Germany
(2014) have seen their
title defence come
crashing down around
them at the first test.
Argentina haunt Nigeria
again
Seeing La Albiceleste and
the Super Eagles drawn in
the same group back in
December will no doubt
have had some happy
memories come gushing
back in Buenos Aires. As of
late this has become quite
the tradition. Ever since
the West Africans made
their first visit to the
World Cup at USA 1994,
only one of their six
tournaments hasn't
featured an encounter
with the men in blue and
white - each time ending
in defeat.
What's more, every
meeting his been decided
by just a solitary goal.
With Nigeria not having
been ahead since their
very first meeting in 1994,
this year's 2-1 defeat
added an extra layer of
repetitive pain, as Marcos
Rojo scored the winner for
the second successive
World Cup.
Mexico's fourth-hurdle
falter
Looking at El Tri's recent
record at the World Cup
presents a mix of the
enviable and the
maddening. Since
qualifying for USA 1994,
only six other nations
have a longer streak of
tournament appearances
in history, with Russia
2018 taking it to seven in
a row. On top of that, only
Brazil are currently on a
better run of escaping the
group stages, with Mexico
making it out every time.
However, that is always
where their journey ends.
The frustration continued
at the hands of A Seleção
this year in Samara, as a
2-0 defeat meant the fifth
game will remain beyond
them for at least four
more years.
South Americans suffer in
Europe
The elimination of Brazil
and Uruguay in the
quarter-finals confirmed it
would be another fruitless
trip to Europe for South
American sides. It's now
60 years since their last
World Cup triumph on the
old continent. Find out
more in our Visual Story.
Russia 2018 Visual Stories
Curses ended
Croatia catch a knockout
break
The pressure to live up to
the heroic team of 1998
has sometimes hung
heavy on the shoulders of
the Croatian national
team. While World Cups
have offered slim pickings
since, having failed to
escape the group stages,
twice at the European
Championships they
slipped at the chance to
win a knockout match.
With their struggles
threatening to become a
full-blown complex,
particularly for their
midfield talismans Luka
Modric and Ivan Rakitic,
who both missed
penalties in a 2008 shoot-
out defeat against Turkey,
beating Denmark by the
same means was a
cathartic release. Even
more so following Modric's
penalty miss seconds from
the end of extra time.
England finally pass spot-
check
Speaking of catharsis,
coach Gareth Southgate's
emotional demons looked
to depart in a triumphant
roar after England won
their own shoot-out
against Colombia in the
last 16. Having lost all
three of their previous 12-
yard duels at World Cups,
and won just one of six at
major championships, it
was a widely-held belief:
England don't do
penalties.
Southgate famously
missed a crucial one
himself in the UEFA EURO
1996 semi-final, so there
were few happier than
him when Eric Dier struck
the winner to buck that
persistent trend. |
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