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What World Cup was it?
After an excellent round of 16, the quarterfinals were even more dramatic with the disappearance of the last two non-European teams. Sweden and host Russia joined Brazil and Uruguay as losers in the top eight.
Belgium and England were eliminated in the semi-finals and will play in third place in St. Petersburg on Saturday at 10am ET.
For the fourth time in a row, a European team will win the World Cup. The only question now is: France or Croatia?
Here are the ups and downs of a thrilling week in the quarterfinal and semifinal
French players remain loose in their practice session on Friday before the World Cup final . ]
The unlikely race of Croatia
Croatia had a spectacular run at its first World Cup in 1998, losing in the semifinals and eventually taking over third place
. In 1965, the team ranked 20th by FIFA at the start of the tournament needed more time in its three knockout matches
. minutes against Russia in the quarterfinals, Croatia managed to bring down the hosts, despite a late goal in the extra frame. They scored four of five penalties en route to their first semifinal in 20 years
This match did not start as the nation hoped, while Kieran Trippier scored a superb free kick for give the advantage to England at five minutes in.
But Croatia did not hesitate, scoring on a center from Ivan Perisic in the 68th minute. Think again and give Mario Mandzukic the advantage in the 109th minute to put the Croatians on the verge of glory.
The only thing that stands in the way of a first World Cup title is a solid French team. After 90 minutes, you can not help but love their chances.
Mario Perzic, on the left, and Ivan Perisic were the heroes of Croatia's victory against England in the semifinal (1965). ] French delight
Speaking of France, the last time he captured a World Cup was in 1998, the year that Kylian Mbappe was born, and he was a big reason for his success . The Paris Saint-Germain striker has solidified as a superstar on the world stage. But that is the defense that made heads turn on Uruguay and Belgium. The team has not lost a goal since the triumph of the round of 32 in Argentina on June 30th. The defense also became offensive, as it was center back Samuel Umtiti who scored the decisive goal to beat Belgium 1- 0 and send France to the final. The team is composed, can turn defense into attack in seconds, and clearly knows how to keep the ball out of its own net. Goalkeeper Hugh Lloris was calm against Uruguay, but superb against Belgium, making some key saves, including a stoppage of beauty on Kevin De Bruyne They are favorites to send Croatia to the final and win their first World Cup in 20 years, and for good reason; Samuel Umtiti's (5) top goal against Belgium has allowed France to play its first World Cup final since 2006. (Christophe Simon / Getty Images 
Kane's prolific lack [19659008] Instead of calling the draw of England, he was certainly lucky.
Sweden ranked 24th and Croatia ranked 20th were certainly better than Brazil (2) , Belgium (3) or France (7).
After defeating the Swedes 2-0 in the quarterfinals, and leading 1-0 against Croatia in the semifinals, England did not win. needed one more to end the match and make his first World Cup a reality in 50 years
And Harry Kane got that chance in the 30th minute, a beautiful ball from Jesse Lingard was sent Kane alone against Danijel Subasic The Croatian goalkeeper made the first stop, but the ball came back to Kane, who could not beat the post with a lot of net in front of him.
Harry Kane hit the post with England 1-0 in their semifinal match against Belgium on Wednesday (Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images)
Yes, it was an angle difficult, but it's a goal that Kane should have scored.
Croatia dominated the second period and earned the victory. But if Kane had scored on this occasion, it would have been almost impossible for the Croats to come back.
Constant Criticism
There was a lot of post-game criticism during the World Cup, and the quarterfinals and semifinals were not different.
Belgian Thomas Meunier, suspended for the team semifinal match against France, criticized Mbappe's behavior in the game, accusing him of wasting time. Both are team-mates for Paris Saint-Germain
And that was not the only negative thing after the match, as Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois accused France of doing nothing but defending after scoring the winning goal.
He went so far as to say that he would rather have lost to Brazil in the quarter-finals, citing them as a team that "wanted to play at least football."
Antoine Griezmann on Thibaut Courtois criticism on the tactics of France, "Does Courtois think that at Chelsea he plays football in Barcelona? I'm mad, I want a second star to put on this shirt. " (H / T @brfootball ) pic.twitter.com/XYGgNK7acL
Earlier, Croatian captain Luka Modric criticized the English media for having them underestimated in their semifinal match, the caller "a huge mistake". He was quoted as saying that the media should be more humble and respect more opponents.
Obviously, there was a lot of hostility between the nations, especially after the games.
Croatian players train on Friday before Sunday's match. ] (Ryan Pierse / Getty Images)
With 62 games in Russia, football fans were treated to a truly spectacular football. With only two teams fighting for the ultimate prize for soccer, the Sunday World Cup final should not be different.
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