As the ball approached Mario Mandzukic’s foot, nobody knew the euphoria that would follow to the Croat’s strike. Ivan Perisic had just won a header inside of England’s box and Mandzukic started his run in the direction of the falling ball. The striker anticipated the move perfectly and put the ball into the back of the net, giving Croatia a 2-1 lead against The Three Lions on extra-time of the 2018 World Cup semi-finals.
With the excitement and adrenaline burning through the veins of all Croatians, Mandzukic went on to celebrate with his fans and teammates. It was jumping around, screams and hands waving in the air, a simple gesture that has its own meaning in the football culture, it epitomizes how important that moment was for the whole nation.
In the middle of the celebrations, Yuri Cortez, a photographer for AFP, was doing his job, taking pictures of the ecstatic players celebrating. At a certain point, where all the TV cameras were pointing, you could see a little man going down to the ground in the middle of the jumping and euphoria — the man was Yuri. As he went tumbling, Yuri kept pressing the button of his camera.
Yuri’s action led to incredible pictures compiling the happiness, the euphoria, the passion, the drama and emotion of a moment so meaningful for a nation. The feelings that are embedded on Yuri’s pictures encapsulate what the World Cup means to all of us.
We finally got to the journey’s end when France beat Croatia in what was a thrilling final in the Luzhniki Stadium. With goals from Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappé and an own goal by Mandzukic, the French defeated an exciting Croatia team, who scored two goals coming from Ivan Perisic and Mario Mandzukic. At the moment Hugo Lloris lifted the famous gold trophy, France added the second World Cup title to their cabinet, ending an almost perfect campaign with the ultimate prize.
Despite the visible delight of lifting a World Cup, people in the Luzhniki’s stands and also behind their TV screens knew that this moment marked the end of one the greatest World Cup ever.
As the players left the pitch, it is inevitable not to miss the World Cup, even if it had just ended. It is the only time in every four years where the whole world talks and lives football, no matter where you’re from. It is the ultimate celebration of football, a moment everyone is brought together by 22 men kicking a ball on a stadium full of people.
This time Russia had the privilege to host the tournament and doesn’t matter what you think about the country’s government, Vladimir Putin and their whole politic side, I doubt there’s one football fan who didn’t enjoy this year’s World Cup. 11 cities entertained the 64 matches on their newly built stadiums; the football went all around the immense country and united everyone, not only the six time zones of Russia but every continent of the world.
We saw the drama when Belgium knocked-out a tired Japan team who had a 2-0 lead inside the second-half, but were denied a historic victory when Nacer Chadli scored the winner with 30 seconds on the clock and booked Belgium’s place in the quarter-finals. The drama featured in Brazil’s win against Costa Rica in the group stage, a match that had everything, from a denied penalty to Tite falling to the ground and injuring himself while celebrating the Canarinho scoring on added time.
We had the pleasure to see England reconnecting to its fans with a memorable campaign, an unexpected achievement for a young team in the middle of a rebuilding process. The Three Lions left the “Penalty Shootout Curse” behind when Jordan Pickford saved Carlos Bacca’s penalty. Football didn’t come home this time, but Gareth Southgate and his team made the fans dream again, leaving all the pessimism surrounding the National Team behind.
The passion when the Croatian players celebrated Mario Mandzukic’s winner against England in the semi-final, a scene that was the icing on the cake to a marvellous campaign where the midfield duo of Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic flourished, explaining my obsession with classy and talented midfielders. Dejan Lovren in tears after each game, Domagoj Vida celebrating his goal against Russia, the win against Denmark on the last 16 are moments that Croatians will never forget.
The passion and euphoria when Marcos Rojo scored Argentina’s winner against Nigeria in the last match of Group E. Not only Argentinian players were left in ecstasy, but Diego Maradona nearly had a heart attack in the stands, creating one of the most passionate scenes in this World Cup.
The passion on Felipe Baloy’s eyes as he scored Panamá’s first ever goal in the World Cup, a moment that made the fans celebrate like they’ve just won a trophy. Note: Panamá were 6-0 down to England. The passion for the shirt, the passion for the country made this moment enter into history.
Another big example of passion when Uruguay denied Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup dream in the last 16. Oscar Tabarez masterminded a brilliant tactical performance from the Celeste, a special moment for the man who fought against health issues to make his country proud in the World Cup.
The euphoria when Russia defeat Spain in the penalty shootout at the Luzhniki. Nobody expected the hosts to go that far, and to beat one of the favourites was a big feat. Russia had the dream cut short in the quarter-finals, but made the country proud achieving the highest finish since the end of the USSR. Russia’s campaign shows important playing at home soil can be.
The happiness when France defeated Croatia to add a second star to their crest. It was the moment Didier Deschamps joined Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer as the only men to win the World Cup as a player and as a manager, showing how special this France team is in terms of talent and tactical discipline. How Kylian Mbappé, Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann and N’Golo Kanté were fundamental in bringing the trophy back to Paris, showing their talent and skill throughout the tournament.
The desolation in the player’s faces when Germany were knocked out in the group stages, keeping the curse of the reigning champion, that once again was unable to progress further than the group stage. The desolation on Neymar’s face as Brazil were defeated against Belgium, ending the dream of the Hexa.
What do this moments have in common? They created emotions that we’ll carry through our lives, created stories that we’ll tell our children and young kids when they ask about Russia 2018. These moments created frames of drama, passion, euphoria, happiness and also sadness that we’ll see whenever Russia 2018 pops into our minds, just like the frames of Yuri’s pictures.
Russia 2018 may have been the best tournament in the modern era. It brought us emotions that we didn’t see so often in the other World Cups, together with some memorable thrilling matches.
This year’s tournament leaves a big legacy behind for Qatar 2022. From modernity in the tournament’s structure to the football played, matching what we felt in this World Cup is a big and difficult task to do.
Qatar 2022 is looming large in the future, but we’ll surely miss Russia 2018.
Thanks for the memories, Russia.
The Final Whistle 