BOX OF TRICKS - FIFA WORLD CUP ENGLAND 2018 SEMIFINALS
Until then it was the most important date in Scotland football, since 1996 when atte semifinals lost by penalties against the latent threat (and finally never materialized during the '90s) Czech Republic ... Old Trafford saw thousands of Scottish tears and hands applauding to their heroes who were on the verge of playing the final with England in that Euro of 1996 ...
Twenty years later, Old Trafford gave a new opportunity to Scotland and in the semifinals, but this time the rival was another national team rising today: Belgium ... in this World Cup, of continuous surprises, without any shadow of doubt the Scots had all the possibilities of repeating 1996 of being stopped at the final's gate. It's certainly true that 9 out of 10 matches, Belgium would have every chance to prevail ... but there was always match 10 out of 10, perhaps a tie, perhaps a belgium defeat, or to look for a header in the area , even the ancient Caledonians could resurrect ... the momentum, the streak in a World Cup is decisive, perhaps the next 4 years are horrible for one of these two national teams, but not in June and July 2018 ...
England's manager Arsene Wenger saluting sir Alex Ferguson, both as spectators, minutes before semifinal in Old Trafford between Scotland vs Belgium, July 11, 2018
England was awaiting in the Final, after beating by penalties to the rising France. The solid but not showy level showed by France, and their in crescendo style of play made them the toughest opponent so far for the local. There is no doubt that for the FIFA WORLD CUP AUSTRALIA 2022, France will be a team to keep in mind if Didier Deschamps continues as manager. What was the game, the domain and possession of the ball was local, but that, as was seen in this World Cup is not a determining factor. Until the 25th minute, none of the two teams imposed their touch, their game and it was clear that France's plan was not to let England play and toleave Griezmann, Mbappe and the fake 9 that does not make goals, Giroud, define ... There was no flow, the construction was conspicuous by its absence. Both teams cannot even make three consecutive passes.
But at 31st minute, Harry Kane starts to try on the World Cup goalscorer outfit, when on the first proper construction of game, four consecutive passes and the result, was into the net. Trippier on the right, very fast, center the ball towards Henderson, who let it pass, so that Kane finished behind after a first attempt by Walcott ... after that, the match seems to be animated ... France went on searching, but the clearest of the Gauls was the shot of Griezmann, the man from Atletico Madrid received the ball turned around and shot high to force Pickford to take a prodigious hand.
The second half started with controversy, the referee did not ask the VAR while the entire stadium shouted for the same as the English players ... in the 48th minute, England arrived triangulating the area, maybe even in brazilian way, reaching the French area , in a triangulation, that started and ended in Dele Alli. The Spurs'man could not finish after Kane's last pass because Pavard threw him away. It was a penalty that the referee didn't dare to charge ... the most terrible was that of what followed next, was France draw. After a penalty that referee didn't see and failed to favored England, the French equal after a punt with the fists of Pickford that fell in Umtiti, which finished off net, unstoppable.
If everyone was sure that England's road to their third World Cup was pave because of their previous results, and without even reaching the final, this was a bath of reality difficult to avoid. It wasn't the best time in France into game, but neither was it from England lads, and in the 67th minute, a foul from the right that Wilshere shot and among those who waited was Adam Lallana unexpectedly unmarked, alone, to finish off at will ... the locals went 2-1 ...
France offered a fight, against Wenger's tactical approach, Pogba tried on the left. And the crossed balls to the area of the French became predictable, Giroud of fake 9 was emptying himself with his delayed work, trying to take the ball. And when England found a gap, they were fired towards the rival goal. France began to despair. Griezmann was imprecise until that moment.
The Brazilian referee Sandro Ricci was permissive throughout the match, a regular referee in hot matches of the Copa Libertadores like the one in 2015 Final when River beat Boca in the Bombonera Stadium, today's match seems to be too much for him ... he granted fouls but not cards, and the final minutes, France seemed unable to find the key and minutes were passing without clear opportunities ... but football is ...great... three minutes from the end, in a play of fortune, the center of Lucas from the left, Mbappé yielded from the middle of the area and Griezmann finished with a head. The English GK managed to touch it but the ball finally slipped in ... from there direct to extra time ... as it was recent I will not remind you that it was a boring extra time, except for the hit in the right post of Dele Alli in the first half of the supplementary one and the goal annulled to Giroud, remaining 5 minutes to the end of extra time .
Of penalties well, the right hand of manager Deschamps taking the face, and no one didn't know if he didn't want to see or if he was about to cry of emotion, but the truth was that when Walcott scored his last penalty, the party was unleashed in London and in the rest of England ... the reminiscences when England eliminated on penalties to Argentina, also in the semifinals of the World Cup '90 in USSR (also 2-2 in regular time), added to the mystique and the English dream of the Third star on his shirt ...
And that good mood contributed to the England vs Scotland Final being what was expected, at least in the local mood, maybe because the beast Belgium, which had come to eliminate the last world champion was the strong revelation of this tournament ...
Umtiti equaliser 1-1 at semifinals against England at Emirates Stadium - FIFA WORLD CUP ENGLAND 2018
Griezmann put into silence to the local fans at Emirates Stadium, equalising 2-2 when remained 3 minutes to 90 minutes...
But the last word was English...
-------------------------- --------------------------- ------------------------
So it was the next day, with Arsene Wenger sitting next to Sir Alex Ferguson, at his home in Old Trafford and watching his Scotland (which was manager in Mexico 86, in a fleeting step), added to The Tartan Army to showed who was local in Manchester and in the same place where they stayed at the door of the feat in Euro '96 ... if England could repeat the same thing as the 1990 semifinal, maybe Scotland could redeem itself from that time in 1996.
But the reality showed that Belgium was the national team that seemed destined to be in the final for the first time in its history ... the Belgian dominance was such, that some Argentine journalist compared the Belgian national team as a bulldozer in front of the Scots ... but here Scottish mysticism became a milestone in the World Cup. Scotland, that couldn't cross through half of the pitch. The Belgians always came before them, and Lukaku first and Hazard then hit two shots on the posts, and they were not even 30 minutes from the first half. More than seventy thousand people, witnessed one of the most beautiful matches ever (for the Scots), and more bizarre (For the Belgians).
It was at stake, besides the pass to the final, the Scottish pride and his dream of being face to face against England but before any dream was the reality of Belgian power.
In the process of the match, Belgium surpassed Scotland, who remained withdrawn and playing on the counterattack. Belgium advanced like a bulldozer, missing goals, hitting the post (in total were 5 times belgiums hit the bars) and the exhausted Scots, barely standing the Belgian siege.
But Scotland had a chance, one chance ... from the middle of the field, Berra started a one-two with another Scottish players, before the look of the Belgian midfield, that although superior, it was like a boxer stunned and tired for not being able knock out the rival ... from there, a Brown pass left enabled Naismith who shot with his eyes closed before the departure of Courtois and so that the ball was netted ... the Scots actually barely believe it, even that first was heard only Naismith lonely shout before Old Trafford exploted... no one in the world could believe it , the last big surprise of this World Cup full of surprises was beginning to be consummated. So, 9 minutes from the end, the final was England vs Scotland and not England vs Belgium ... but two minutes before the end the last miracle happened, Lukaku was left alone, after eluding the Scottish GK and finishing ... it was goal... goal ?. ..no, Mulgrew interposed his humanity to become the new Scottish hero ... together with Naismith and the rest of the squad, he could barely touch the ball with his foot, so that it went in suspense at the corner ... a minute later, two fans Scottish entered the stadium and security could get them out, but everyone got nervous, even many Scots ... Wembley 1977 ghost was in the air ... and when the referee appointed the center of the pitch, the final frame, the ghost was embodied. The Tartan Army re-greened its antecedents and invaded the field (although this time didn't broke any post), the players tried to escape, some went to the dressing room, but a couple were uploaded by the fans ... the tears are very recent, but it's hard to forget those two fans in his 20 years, embraced, crying in the middle of the field, that the broadcasting could not avoid taking ... the dream of the islands had become true. The FIFA WORLD CUP ENGLAND 2018 FINAL was England vs Scotland
The invasion would bring consequences, real and imagined. THE final, a last controversy, for the kit t-shirts to be used in the definition match.
For now, the SFA was forced to restrict on the tickets, but still thousands would have gone down anyway to be part of history. Similar with the UEFA cup final in 2008 with Rangers fans in Manchester funnily enough, a lot of them would be at a fan park at the city center who could not get tickets. There were thousands of fans and they were trying to pitch pitch invasions, that would be banned from the decisive game at this WC, but there will still be a large number of them regardless whenever they go places...
Naismith and his partners in crime, celebrating the smashing and stunning goal of semifinal...their faces says it all, they could barely believe it...
And Lukaku's incredible missing...
The 1977 memories of invasion appeared at Old Trafford...to became a 2.18 reality
Of course without the bus in Old Trafford...
PD: thanks to QTXAdsy for some tips!
I'll be there ITTL to give my thoughts on the game!
