B / R Alternative Awards for 2018 World Cup | Bleacher's report



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    JEWEL SAMAD / Getty Images

    Welcome to life after the 2018 World Cup. Sad, is not it? Something is missing, is not it?

    We are only 24 hours away from France's triumph in the final in Moscow, but we already had to press the Rewind button to return to the tournament. In doing so, we have awarded 10 awards, ranging from the best player to the best celebration at the biggest flop.

    If you, like us, fight without your daily dose of football, it's a safe place to recover while the worst Ian MacNicol / Getty Images

You will not always agree with the Golden Ball Award nomination, but FIFA's Luka Modric selection this year seems to be fair given what has happened.

Before the final whistle, N & # 39; Golo Kante felt like the best player of the tournament, but the Frenchman's horror show in the final allowed Modric to win. to reach the summit. Wrestling, reserved and already partially at fault for a goal, the Chelsea outsider was hooked after 55 minutes in a ruthless (but fair) move by director Didier Deschamps.

Modric's own performance was not a personal best, but it was good enough. The star of Real Madrid was once again the soul of his team, dictating his midfield and participating in several of his best moves. As in so many games before the final, he was the focal point of everything.

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    PATRIK STOLLARZ / Getty Images

    All the talk before the tournament in Serbia was centered around Sergej Milinkovic. Savic-a big name, literally, and one linked to a host of top European clubs. Many were ready to see him for the first time and to critically evaluate his prowess.

    But after three intense and exciting group games, another was christened as the star of the nation: Nikola Milenkovic

    . The injury of Matija Nastasic before the selection of the team of 23 players, Milenkovic, 20, may not have even played, but he seized the opportunity with both hands, dominating the Costa Rica and good against Switzerland

    . The aggressiveness, distribution and tackle of the Fiorentina players shone all, feeling like home on the biggest stage – despite the fact that he was only winning his fourth, fifth and sixth international selections!

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    Thanbadis Stavrakis / Associated Press

    The 2018 World Cup was a tournament of big goals, so before dissecting Benjamin Pavard's shot, let us honor some of the other incredible efforts that are under way.

    Belgium's counterattack against Jap In the round of 32, ending with Nacer Chadli tapping at home in the 94th minute, was perfect football at 100 mph. Nacho Fernandez's solo effort, similar to that of Pavard, took the upper hand in the most enjoyable way. Lionel Messi's strike against Nigeria is perhaps more noticeable for the smooth keys to settle than the shot itself.

    But Pavard deceived them all. The technique used is mind-blowing: the way he cuts the ball, the way it starts outside the pole, but the drift and impromptu nature of it – he's probably surprised that the ball falls to him and he only has a split second to decide what to do.

    It was a strike so good that it triggered a mbad revisionism regarding Pavard's performance at the tournament. Stuttgart's man struggles against Australia in the first match? Has its general lack of attack made an impact up to this point? All forgotten. When you hit a ball so nicely against Messi's Argentina, nothing else matters.

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    Soccrates Images / Getty Images

    The phrase "any action" makes almost injunctions to Nordin Amrabat in Russia

    . ] Since he was on the flank, it's amazing how involved he was in Morocco's play. Be it from the back or the right wing, he was a huge outlet for his nation, creating opportunities, jumping over tackles and making fun of bullets.

    Since he ended the tournament aimlessly or helplessly, he is likely to forget the salvo three games of the Watford man quite quickly. But having thrown off his protective cap for his concussion with disgust to break the bar against Spain with a thunderous effort, the fun summer of Amrabat is immortalized here [19659026] 5 of 10

      YVES HERMAN / Getty Images

      I love a big splash post-World Cup. It's part of their MO to sign a valuable player following the world's biggest sporting event, enjoying the excitement, t-shirt sales and momentum.

      This is what brought Fabio Cannavaro to the club in 2006 and James Rodriguez in 2014. The model has been established for a long time.

      This year, there are three obvious candidates: Thibaut Courtois (winner of Golden Glove), Eden Hazard (second of Golden Ball) and Kylian Mbappe (Best Young). Player). Mbappe is probably out of their reach. So, refine it to both Belgians, and there is a chance that they will sign both.

      Hazard has already worried Chelsea fans. After Belgium secured third place on Saturday, he told reporters: Marca ): "After six wonderful years in Chelsea, it may be time to discover something different. to stay or leave, but Chelsea will make the final decision.If they let me out, you already know my favorite destination. "

      No one is under any illusions: this" favorite destination " is Real Madrid. 19659035] 6 of 10

        ROMAN KRUCHININ / Getty Images

        In a tournament riddled with disappointing performances by big guns, Germany takes the biscuit when it comes to the issue of biggest disappointments . His 270 minutes on the field in Russia were nothing short of chaotic.

        Manager Joachim Low ignored the warning signs of the friendlies against Austria and Saudi Arabia and headed to the first match against Mexico. – attacked the team – with a very open system that offered no protection to central defenders and no defensive balance.

        They were torn apart by El Tri and then missed a win against Sweden in a performance almost as bad. They had to beat South Korea in their last Group F game, a simple task on paper for such a talented team. But you know the old adage, and their 2-0 defeat was the most difficult of the lot.

        The defending champions were shot in the group stage for the third World Cup (Italy and Spain have done the same thing in front of them). With the appointment of Germany as the biggest disappointment, it follows that one of their players receives the flop title.

        You can make a case for several of them. Toni Kroos was well below his usual level, Sami Khedira was responsible for 60 painful minutes against Mexico, and Timo Werner was anonymous playing centrally. You can somehow spare the central defenders given their lack of protection.

        But the biggest flop was Thomas Muller: a man who has carved a reputation for performing on the big stage. , marking essential objectives. A man who has 10 goals from the World Cup and who was probably looking at a potential record. A man on whom Germany had counted for more than eight years to do it when it is the most important.

        He was so far from normal.

        Low kept him confident, bringing him into two of the three games and hoping he would find his groove. But he did not do it, with good wasted positions, inaccurate crosses, wild shots and being easily stopped. Mexico, Sweden and South Korea (in the 63rd minute) held it to their feet, which no one thought possible

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    Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images

    Bookmark goal at the World Cup is fun, is not it? You can see pure joy etched through the faces of players when they manage it. Everything is sporadic, and few things can be prepared for you at the moment, with many celebrations falling into the same category: hugging, stacking, screaming.

    This uniformity is what made the reaction of Aliou Cisse The goal of Senegal against Poland is so interesting. Quiet and composed on the sideline, the manager made a vertical triple fist pump and stared impbadively into the camera for a few seconds

    Cooling, obsession or just personified?

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    Thanbadis Stavrakis / Associated Press

    The calamity of the World Cup campaign in Germany was summed up by a strange moment in the last minute of their 2-0 defeat of Korea. South.

    A falling goal and desperate for a face-up equalizer, Germany pushed everyone forward, including the goalkeeper. Manuel Neuer is known for his sweeping abilities, but rarely – if ever – we saw him take a stance practically on the edge of an opponent's box .

    He did it against South Korea, trying to get a free ball and send it back to the box. But a bad blow allowed Ju Se-jong to sack him, and his long punt towards Germany's goal was tapped on the line by Son Heung-min to end a remarkable game phase. 19659004] The picture of Neuer-exasperated half of South Korea while they sprinted and scored – was striking to say the least.

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    Ian MacNicol / Getty Images

    If you have predicted England to reach the semifinals of the World Cup this year, be a psychic or an optimist. Although the vibrations were positive from the Three Lions camp before the tournament, suggesting that they would reach the last four would have been daring.

    They were heading to Russia with a right wing on the left wing, a right back in the center back, two No. 10 at No. 8 and a first-choice goalkeeper with three selections. Their form before the tournament had been good, but the expectations were suitably tempered.

    The smart money was on England to finish second in Group G and face Colombia in the round of 16, which they did. From there, however, things really began to fall in favor of the Southgate manager Gareth.

    James Rodriguez's injury excluded him from this shock, swinging the pendulum towards England. They triumphed – on penalties! – and progressed to the quarterfinals. It is there that, if the tournament had unfolded as planned, they would have met Germany. Instead, they met Sweden.

    Over 120 minutes, Croatia has turned out to be too much. Belgium won third place quite easily, but England semi-finalist? It's a surprise that even wins over KOs and Sweden's own road to the quarterfinals.

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