{"id":18704,"date":"2018-07-13T08:21:17","date_gmt":"2018-07-13T12:21:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.btsh.org\/bruise\/?p=18704"},"modified":"2018-07-13T09:05:27","modified_gmt":"2018-07-13T13:05:27","slug":"2018-world-cup-final-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/2018-world-cup-final-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"2018 World Cup Final Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

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by Hornswoggle<\/em><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about what\u2019s happening on Sunday. Yes\u2026 there will be hockey games on (pending heat fears\/rain fears\/Cro\u2019s whining). But there is a sporting event whose result could have greater impact on the international stage and fortunately, since the vast majority of us at BTSH are over 21, we get to witness the unraveling at a local bar, or our friends\u2019 cribs with a decent spread of food and booze. That event, comrades, is the World Cup final.<\/p>\n

Four years ago, over one billion viewers (that\u2019s nearly one-sixth of the total population!!!) saw Germany\u2019s Philipp Lahm hoist the 5-kilogram Jules Rimet trophy, just minutes after a Mario G\u00f6tze half-volley sailed past Argentina\u2019s Sergio Romero in extra time. Honestly, we could\u2019ve seen one of the world\u2019s greatest\u2014though not the GOAT, I think\u2014Lionel Messi on that podium that year. And unfortunately, neither he nor his greatest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, get that very chance this time, both teams having been eliminated relatively early in the tournament.<\/p>\n

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This year has a somewhat different twist; France, who lost (in their own country!!!) to Cristiano and the Portuguese two years ago in the European Championships, have returned with a vengeance, adding a specific phenom named Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 to their starting XI. Breaking hearts left and right with relatively close shaves between Argentina and Belgium nonetheless proved that they\u2019ve got both the gall and the firepower to see the tournament through. (And also I placed bets for them to win\u2026 because betting in New Jersey is legal now.)<\/p>\n

Remember I mentioned that the event could have greater impact on the world stage? Well\u2026 France will be facing Croatia in the final; if you\u2019re even 1% Croatian, you should be very proud, as it\u2019s the national team\u2019s first trip to the final ever. Certainly the country of just over 4,000,000 is reeling over the idea that their beloved Luka Modri? could be that guy on magazine covers and social media doing what Philipp Lahm did four years back. His team\u2019s road to the final was quite different from France\u2019s; in fact, nearly all the teams they faced were convinced that the Croats are beatable, but the Croats\u2019 persistence to live through extra time and penalty kicks (twice) helped them escape to better pastures, which got a little greener each time they realized victory. On 6 July, Croats commemorated the anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide\u2014from which some people say was the worst post-WWII atrocity to ever occur\u2014so for that to happen as their national team achieves success in football is significant, since football could be the tool that unites countries in the region (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia) towards a mutual understanding of histories and a paving for a compassionate, respecting future together.<\/p>\n

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Okay, so we\u2019ve looked at the two sides for Sunday\u2019s final, and I bet you\u2019re expecting a prediction. As this is one match, anything could happen. Instead, I\u2019ll give you a personal reflection of everything that has transpired in the tournament\u2014at least only the main points: VAR has been instrumental (it\u2019s just that the final decisions are wrong sometimes); the fourth substitution in extra time has been a lifesaver for some (Russia, mainly); and the \u201cfair play\u201d rule\u2014which eliminated Senegal, who has future Champions League winner Man\u00e9\u2014can shatter dreams instantly. All that said, I had France to win long before June 15, and I knew because the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, and de Bruyne didn\u2019t stand with squads as seasoned, robust, and risk-taking like Les Bleus. France will be victorious with a 2-0 scoreline, Griezmann will be doing his Fortnite \u201cL\u201d dance, and Deschamps will retire a winner, but not without Suba\u0161i? standing on his head, Vida getting admonished for slapping a Frenchman\u2019s face with his ponytail, and Lovren beating his chest like Tarzan (no, not MDF\u2019s brother.)<\/p>\n

Everyone, please drink responsibly (unless you\u2019re Ellery, then you get a pass), enjoy the final, and properly rehydrate for your games!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Hornswoggle Let\u2019s talk about what\u2019s happening on Sunday. Yes\u2026 there will be hockey games on (pending heat fears\/rain fears\/Cro\u2019s whining). But there is a sporting event whose result could have greater impact on the international stage and fortunately, since the vast majority of us at BTSH are over 21, we get to witness the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6355,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-league-info"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18704"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6355"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18704"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18704\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18719,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18704\/revisions\/18719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}