The joy of lifting the Word Cup trophy in front of home support has been enjoyed on 6 occasions since the start of the tournament. The 1998 FIFA World Cup has been the most recent to witness this magic.
France was the host and Brazil was the defending champion. It was a final scripted in the footballing heavens and little could be done to destroy the anticipation of the match; but this was all before the final had kicked off.
Rewind to the qualifying stages. This was the first World Cup which featured 32 teams. It opened the doors for teams from Asia, Africa and North America to stake a claim for a spot in the tournament. And they did oblige. South Africa, Jamaica and Japan made their debuts in the World Cup. Croatia had recently been recognised as a country (independent from Yugoslavia) but was barred from the previous edition of the World Cup. They appeared as Croatia for the first time in 1998. In essence it was a debut, and they made sure their presence was felt; but more on that later.
The group stages were rife with competition but saw the progression of the usual suspects. Brazil topped Group A while Italy did the same in Group B. Hosts France put in convincing performances to win all their matches and top Group C. Nigeria just about managed to top Group D as did Netherlands in Group E, Germany in Group F and Romania in Group G. Argentina also enjoyed all victories in the group stages to come out on top of Group H but close on their heels were Croatia. Among the top seeded teams to not make the knockout stages were Spain and Colombia who took early flights back home.
Croatia was the surprise package of the tournament. They conceded only 3 goals in the tournament while managing to score 9 of their own. Davor Suker was a star. He scored 6 goals for Croatia and picked up the Golden Shoe award as top goal scorer of the tournament. The team managed to knockout Germany in the quarterfinal stage to face France in the semis. To a certain extent, Croatia had shaped the outcome of this World Cup. Suker once again served his country to help the Croats take the lead against France in the semis. Unfortunately for Croatia, the French team was lined up with a heavy defence and one of its defenders answered the call. Lillian Thuram scored his first two (and only) goals for his country in the semi final against Croatia to take the hosts into the final.
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Elsewhere, the beautiful football of Brazil had a talisman of its own. Ronaldo had established himself on the big stage and had set the world on fire with his performances. He eventually picked up the Golden Ball award as the best player of the tournament. His excellent performances and 4 goals helped take Brazil into the final.
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The final was played at Stade de France in Saint-Denis with 80,000 fans. Brazil had won the previous World Cup and come into this tournament as favourites. France, on the other hand, was playing a World Cup final for the first time. Nonetheless, the French looked determined. The French team was set up around a resolute defence. They had conceded only two goals before the final and did not look like they were likely to concede anymore. Brazil’s star, Ronaldo, was a shadow of himself in the final game which was probably down to the fact that he had convulsions on the eve of the final. The French managed to keep him quiet and capitalised on any opportunities that came their way. Legends are rough diamonds shaped by the pressure of big situations. Zinedine Zidane was one such diamond. His performances were above average before the final but cometh the stage and cometh the man. Zidane was a catalyst for most of the French attack. His sublime ball control and vision carried the French from a defensive wall into an attacking beast. He scored two headed goals from corners while Emmanuel Petit added a third. France destroyed Brazil 3-0 in the 1998 FIFA World Cup final. The crowd went wild, Zidane kissed his shirt and photos of the French players lifting the trophy were etched in everyone’s memory. The French had won their first World Cup championship.
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This World Cup had no major political struggle or controversy behind it. There was a major upset in the final and a few surprise packages. It was a tournament which reminded us that even giants can fall and it gave us many memorable moments to remember. Michael Owen scored a brilliant goal after a solo run; Dennis Bergkamp showed a touch of class to score an excellent goal; Ronaldo established himself as one of the most sought-after strikers in the world; and Zidane etched his name in the highlight reels as a new legend of football.
It was a World Cup that defined the future legends of a generation. I leave you with the tournament highlights:
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Sean is a part of the @Football_P family. You can follow him at @Seanseq
