So far, there have been few moments of magic. But the next rounds could become chaotic and vibrant
group stage of the World Cup in Qatar complete, the most abiding memories are the upsets. The tournament sprang to life whencame from behind to beat Argentina 2-1 with two fine goals, prompting King Salman to declare a national holiday. Japan did the same the next day to Germany and later to Spain. An ageing Belgian side were muscled aside by Morocco. France, the holders, were turned over by Tunisia. And to round things off, Cameroon scored a late winner against Brazil.
First, the globalisation of football has raised the standard of weaker sides. The unheralded Moroccan team that beat Belgium contained players from Chelsea, Paris St-Germain and Sevilla. The two Japanese scorers against Germany play in the Bundesliga. All three sub-Saharan African teams have a spine of players from top European leagues.
A third factor is that less attacking talent has been on show than in past World Cups. There is a shortage of top-quality forwards in their mid- to late 20s, usually a striker’s prime. Arguably only France’s Kylian Mbappé, who turns 24 two days after the final, and England’s Harry Kane fit this description—and Mr Kane is yet to score.
In addition, the conditions of international football can militate against flair. Whereas club sides train together daily and might play 50 or 60 games a season, national sides come together less often for around ten matches—and clubs sometimes find ways of making their players unavailable. This makes playing attacking, free-flowing football much more challenging, even for elite players.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
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