World Cup 2018: From France’s young Mbappe to Croatia’s dream run, here is this year’s tournament in records

Published: 
Associated Press
Listen to this article

Lots of goals, less violent play, and the new Video Assistant Referee make Russia 2018 a World Cup for the record books

Associated Press |
Published: 
Comment

Latest Articles

Tatler to give fans 50% ticket refund for Messi’s Hong Kong no-show by May

An intense smell from a rare corpse flower attracts visitors in San Francisco

Hong Kong grocery chain DCH goes out of business after 39 years

Hong Kong logs coldest start to March since 2016

Icelandic peninsula sees fourth volcanic eruption since December

French player Kylian Mbappe is projected onto the Arc de Triomphe in Paris after their World Cup 2018 win.

France’s Kylian Mbappe’s breakout performances. 12 own goals. Very few red cards despite all of the diving from Brazil’s Neymar Jr.

Here is a look at the records set and broken during the World Cup in Russia, and what it tells us about the tournament.

Plenty of goals

With just one scoreless draw in 64 games, Russia’s World Cup has been far from dull.

By the time France and Denmark delivered a boring 0-0 draw in the group stage, 35 games had been played with at least one goal scored, breaking a World Cup record that had stood for 64 years.

World Cup 2018: Four things that people who don’t know football constantly say

France’s 4-2 win over Croatia in the final increased the tournament tally to 169 goals – only two fewer than the record 171 in the 2014 and 1998 editions.

And the tournament averaged 2.64 goals per game, second only to Brazil in 2014 for World Cups this century.

The record of 5.38 per game from 1954 is unlikely ever to fall without major rule changes. Back then, many teams lagged far behind the best, leading to two 7-0 thrashings and a 9-0 game.

Own goals and penalties

England captain Harry Kane was the tournament's top scorer with six goals.
Photo: AP

While teams have scored more goals than usual, the number of own goals in Russia was double the previous record.

The 12 own goals included the first ever in a World Cup final. The increase is in part because FIFA has stricter guidelines about attributing deflected shots. But the new Video Assistant Referee system has led to an increase in the number of penalties awarded to a record 29, 11 more than the previous mark from 2002. Of those, 22 were converted from the spot.

World Cup 2018: Mexicans fans at home set off earthquake sensors with "massive jumps" of joy

Harry Kane was the biggest example of this trend, in his push to be the tournament’s top scorer. The England captain scored three of his tournament-leading six goals from penalties and two shortly after corner kicks, leaving just a single deflected goal from open play.

Modern technology has helped the World Cup’s more modest teams pick the right tactics to frustrate top-class opponents, but there have still been some outstanding goals. Denis Cheryshev’s curling shot for Russia against Croatia and Benjamin Pavard’s swerving strike for France against Argentina are among the highlights.

Mbappe and El Hadary

Young stars have made a mark, none more than France’s 19-year-old Kylian Mbappe, who became the youngest player to score two goals in a World Cup game since Pele in 1958. He also became the first teenager since Pele to score in a World Cup final.

Aging players have set records, too. Goalkeeper Essam El Hadary became the oldest player ever start in a World Cup game when he lined up in Egypt’s last match against Saudi Arabia aged 45. Mexico veteran Rafael Marquez became the first player picked in a starting lineup at five World Cups.

The HKJC Youth Football Leadership Scheme to give six aspiring Hong Kong footballers a wider view of the world

Croatian grit

Croatian football fans were treated to a dream run this year.
Photo: AP

Croatia got to the final the hard way, becoming the first team ever to win three consecutive games in extra time at a World Cup.

That added up to 360 minutes of football in the knockout stages before reaching the final, the equivalent of a full game more than France. In the end, the Croats ran out of steam. France took a 4-1 lead midway through the second half of the final and it was pretty much over from there. France won its second World Cup title, and Croatia’s best run ever ended in a runner-up finish.

Why the Hong Kong Students Sports Awards are important to young local athletes

Keeping it cool

Perhaps with one eye on the VAR system, players didn’t break the rules so much, but they have certainly been bending them.

There hasn’t been a single red card for violent conduct, and just four ejections in total. It’s the lowest number at the World Cup in 40 years. Compare that with 2006, when 28 reds were issued including four in one game when Portugal beat the Netherlands.

However, there have been plenty of cases of players mobbing referees, wasting time and rolling on the pitch in exaggerated agony. Swiss broadcaster RTS calculated Neymar spent nearly 14 minutes on the ground in Brazil’s first four games.

Edited by Jamie Lam

Sign up for the YP Teachers Newsletter
Get updates for teachers sent directly to your inbox
By registering, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy
Comment