With curtains down in the month-long 2018 World Cup, here are some interesting numbers that made this World Cup even more special.
With curtains down in the month-long 2018 World Cup, here are some interesting numbers that made this World Cup even more special.
1. FIFA World Cup 2018
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Tournament stats: This was the first instance when all competing teams scored at least two goals in the group stage. PC: Reuters
2. Spain
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Tournament stats: July 1, 2018 was just the second day in which two World Cup games (Spain v Russia, Croatia v Denmark) both went to a penalty shoot-out - the other was June 21, 1986 (France v Brazil, Mexico v Germany). PC: EFE
3. FIFA World Cup 2018
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Tournament stats: This was the first time when 43 percent of the goals were scored through a set-piece, more than any other World Cup since 1996. PC: EFE
4. FIFA World Cup 2018
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Tournament stats: There were nine goals scored in the 90th minute or later at the 2018 World Cup, more than any other edition. PC: Reuters
5. Croatia
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Tournament stats: This was the highest-scoring World Cup final since England beat West Germany 4-2 back in 1966. PC: AFP
6. Ronaldo
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Player stats: Cristiano Ronaldo became just the fourth player to score in four different World Cup tournaments - 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 - after Pele, Uwe Seeler and Miroslav Klose. PC: EFE
7. Egypt goalie
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Player stats: Egypt’s Essam El-Hadary (45y 161d) set the record for the oldest player to appear in a World Cup. He beat Colombian Faryd Mondragón’s by two years and 158 days. PC: EFE
8. Mbappe
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Player stats: When France’s Kylian Mbappe scored twice against Argentina in Round of 16 match, he became the first teenager to score twice in a World Cup match since Pele, who netted twice for Brazil against Sweden in the 1958 World Cup final. Mbappe (19) also became the second youngster teenager to score in a World Cup final since Pele (17) in 1958. PC:AFP
9. Croatia's Mario
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Player facts: Croatia’s Mario Mandzukic became the first ever player to score an own goal in a World Cup final. He also is only the second player in World Cup history to score a goal for his team and an own goal in the same match, after the Netherlands' Ernie Brandts against Italy in 1978. PC: AFP
10. Uruguay's coach
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Coach facts: Uruguay’s head coach Oscar Tabarez became the fifth manager to take charge of the same country at four different World Cup finals (1990, 2010, 2014 and 2018), after Walter Winterbottom (England), Josef Herberger (West Germany), Helmut Schon (West Germany) and Lajos Baroti (Hungary). PC: EFE
11. France's coach
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Coach facts: France’s Didier Deschamps is the third person to win the World Cup as both a player and a coach, after Brazil's Mario Zagallo and West Germany's Franz Beckenbauer. Deschamps was also the captain of the French side that lifted the trophy in 1998 World Cup. PC: Reuters
12. Croatia's coach
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Coach facts: 23 managers made their World Cup debut in the 2018 edition, with Croatia's Zlatko Dalic registering the highest finish among this group (runners-up). PC: AFP
13. Croatia
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Team facts: Croatia became just the second side to progress on a penalty shoot-out in consecutive knockout games in a World Cup tournament after Argentina in 1990 (v Yugoslavia and Italy). PC: Reuters
14. Brazil
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Team facts: Brazil have been eliminated from the World Cup by a European nation in the last four editions. (France 2006, Netherlands 2010, Germany 2014 and Belgium 2018). PC: EFE
15. England scores
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Team facts: England scored nine goals in 2018 World Cup from set-pieces, the most by a team in a single World Cup tournament since 1966. PC: AFP
16. France
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Team facts: France became the first team to score four goals in a World Cup final since Brazil beat Italy 4-1 in 1970. PC: PTI
17. Croatia
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