The 2024 World Cup, oh, excuse me, the 2024 FIFA World Cup came to a thrilling conclusion yesterday when Argentina defeated France on penalty kicks (more on that in a bit) after the teams played to a 3-3 tie after 90 minutes regulation time, plus 30 minutes of overtime. The backstories here were the final appearance on the World Cup stage by Argentina's Lionel Messi, 35, perhaps the world's best player who lacked only a World Cup championship on his resume, and his heir apparent, 24 year old Kylian Mbappe of France.
Both the match itself, and the two superstars lived up to all of the pre-match hype. Messi scored twice, Mbappe three times. France came back from a two goal deficit with less that 12 minutes to play in overtime. Messi scored what looked to be the winning goal in overtime, only to see Mbappe, unbelievably, tie the game again in the final minutes of OT, which sent the game to penalty kick shootout, won by Argentina. Not surprisingly, both Messi and Mbappe made their kicks in the shoot-out.
It has been called the greatest World Cup Final in history, and who am I to argue? As one who finds the lack of shooting in world class soccer a detriment to the Beautiful Game, even I found this game tremendously exciting to watch. The skill of the players is undeniable, and the efforts to score, the near misses, and the saves by both defenders and keepers were a marvel to behold. It was as exciting a sporting event as you will see all year. And all that said, what a shame that an athletic event so epic be decided on penalty kicks. I get that Soccer demands a full thirty minute overtime, but why not make it sudden death instead, or sudden death after the traditional 30 minute OT period? When the stakes are the very highest in the sport, it shouldn't end on a gimmicky outcome. If that's me being an Ugly American, so be it.
I found myself watching more of the World Cup than I anticipated, certainly more than I ever have before, and enjoying it more than anticipated. First, it was following the USA team, then the other elite national teams as they wended through the knockout rounds, and of course, the build up to the Messi-Mbappe confrontation made the whole thing must viewing. Weekday games in the mornings and afternoons made for ideal viewing for this retiree, and being able to bet on the games via my FanDuel app only added to the interest levels.
Watching the tournament being staged in a nation such as Qatar, with its horrible human rights record and its blatant attempt to "sports wash" it all away, and knowing the overall corruption of FIFA did make one feel a little queasy at times. The thrill of the competition and the skill of the athletes can make you forget all of that, but the overall stink of this backstory does stay with you. This was best summarized by John Feinstein of the Washington Post in this column from today.
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Back here in the USA, the NFL concluded Week 15, so let's take a look at the GPR as it stands today.
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- Eagles 13-1
- Bills 11-3
- Chiefs 11-3
- Bengals 10-4
Knocking at the door (alphabetically)....49'ers 10-4, Cowboys 10-4, Dolphins 8-3, Jaguars 6-8, Lions 7-7, Vikings 11-3.
Yes, I have included a 6-8 and a 7-7 team in here. Sounds crazy, but if your favorite team was in the playoffs, would YOU like to see them playing the Lions right now? Or Trevor Lawrence?
The final three weeks will be fun as these playoff scenarios play themselves out.
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