At the end of the semi-finals, the World Cup went to the final stage to find the world champion in 2018. In addition to the deserved final match between France and Croatia, in Russia there is still a rematch between Belgium and England to find the bronze medalist at this year's soccer festival.
Although the third league match has always been in place in the league system since 1934, many experts and fans have suggested that it should "wipe out" the less meaningful match. What is the purpose of maintaining this match?
The match comforts two losers
Basically, the third match was a consolation for the two teams to lose in the semi-finals. This match was first held in the second World Cup in 1934 in Italy.
Previously, at the 1930 World Cup, the third match was not held, but the title was based on previous performance in the two teams' tournament.
However, in the general assessment, the tournament 3 is not really the team too concerned about. The coach and the players still have a lot of regret missing the opportunity to reach the final. Fans and the press are paying attention to two teams will play the most important match of the tournament.
Winners of the FIFA World Cup will receive a FIFA Bronze medal, but the prize will not be remembered until the closing of the World Cup.
Deep meaning
In addition to finding the third team in the league, the official reason behind FIFA is to rank the national team around the world, thereby ranking the seed for future tournaments.
In addition, one more reason to host this match is to perform the purpose of ranking on television.
According to the official FIFA report at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the Uruguay-Germany third-prize battle was the 14th most watched match of the 64 matches. Approximately 245 million views of this match on television worldwide, including live TV viewers, delayed watch or TV viewing.
One of the interesting things that keep fans interested in this match is that they will be watching their favorite team to enjoy playing in the World Cup without the pressure.
This is also a chance for the players to play a high quality match at the top of the planet but with a psychological comfort and spoiled.
Opposition to the 3rd prize competition
In 2014, Dutch coach Louis Van Gaal expressed his contempt for having played in the third match against Brazil for which he had little meaning.
"Never attend a game like this, I've been saying this for the past 10 years, and the worst thing is that you could have missed the second consecutive loss in this tournament. had a great World Cup, but then returned home as the losers, "one Manchester United strategist said.
"There is only one title worth considering, it's the world championship," said coach Van Gaal. Luckily, the Netherlands had a 3-0 win over Brazilian hosts and Van Gaal did not taste the second consecutive defeat at the 2014 World Cup.
Also in Russia this year, audiences will once again enjoy the confrontation of two European representatives is England and Belgium. If in the group stage, "Three Masters" and "Reds" encounter each other in a meaningless match, the next will be the moment of intense battle to both prove the true power of myself.
1954/5000
Moscow and Saint Petersburg, but rival each other in tradition. Ask a person in Saint Petersburg about which city is the most important in Russia, you will get the answer: "One was the capital of Russia and the other is Moscow."
Saint Petersburg is always important in the heart of the Russians, though Moscow is power-packed, crowded and more privileged. The third match of the World Cup will take place in Saint Petersburg, as it is lower than Moscow, where the finals are held.
Lower but not bypassed. Not to be missed. Although there are some people oppose.
"I do not think there should be a third match, we have less than a day to prepare, and you are more likely to lose both matches in a tournament, even if you have played well in advance. and you will be home as the losers because you lost two matches, "Dutch coach Louis Van Gaal said ahead of the third match at the 2014 World Cup.
Netherlands lost to Argentina after penalty shootout in the semi-finals. But in the third match, they beat Brazil 3-0. The suffering that Van Gaal spoke of the Brazilian team, they lost 1 to 7 in the semi-finals, losing 3 more, a total of 10 goals after two games.
A World Cup that Brazilians never want to have, let alone host them. There is no more humiliation for such a host, but the host is Brazilian.
The third match of the bad reputation from the first World Cup. The third-best team in 1930 was a year-long controversy. In 1984, the FIFA report said that the match was held and that Yugoslavia won 3-1.
Historians have different views on whether the game is held. There are assumptions that Yugoslavia refused to play this match after being dissatisfied with the referee's problem.
Two years later, FIFA conceded a mistake, correcting that match was not held, the United States won third place better off goal. But the debate is not over yet.
In 2010, the son of Kosta Hadzi, head of the Yugoslavian delegation at the 1930s, said Yugoslavian team members were awarded the bronze medal, and he also held his father's medal. Controversy has not ended.
But in fact, the third match was a high-pitched game, and the final was always heavy on defense, careful with many attempts. The last three World Cup finals lasted 120 minutes and saw a total of four goals. Italy - France 1-1 in 2006, Spain - Netherlands 1-0 in 2010 and Germany - Argentina 1-0 in 2014.
While the last three matches have seen 12 goals, they are in the 90th minute. Germany beat Portugal 3-1 in 2006, Germany beat Uruguay 3-2 in 2010, Netherlands beat Brazil 3-0 in 2014. Since the 1974 World Cup, when Poland won 2-0 in Brazil in the third match to come Now, no World Cup, this match has less than 3 goals.
Third place is not just a comforting gift from the star teams, it is the aspirations of the emerging teams. World Cup 2002, Turkey and South Korea all want to win this match, especially Korean host in front of 63,000 spectators home on Daegu Stadium.
In the end Turkey won 3-2, both ended the league with the best record in their history.
Surely many hard-line youth remember Hakan Sukur, the Turkish striker who was dubbed the "Bosphorus Straitjacket", scored the fastest goal in World Cup history in that match, in 10th, 8.
Do you know what Sukur, the best player in Turkish football history is doing? He works in a bakery in California, in exile from his motherland. Sukur's guilt? He insults the current president of Turkey on social networking Twitter.
South Korea coach Guus Hiddink. Four years earlier, he also suffered a similar defeat when the Netherlands lost to Croatia 1-2 in the third match. "That's why I do not like that game," he said.
With some individual players, a third-place finish (no Euro) is an opportunity for them to strive for personal goals, such as scoring goals to become a top scorer. Salvatore Schillaci in 1990, Davor Suker in 1998, Thomas Muller in 2010 scored in the third match to become the top scorer.
So can see Harry Kane and Romelo Lukaku will strive to score when England meet Belgium in the third match this year in Saint Petersburg.
Sometimes teams in third place are not lacking in excellent individuals. Schillaci was both the scorer and the best player in the 1990 World Cup when the Italian team won the third place. Diego Forlan was the best player in the 2010 World Cup when his Uruguayan team finished fourth.
Saturday's seventh-placed stadium will be packed with 64,287 people to watch the third match. Tickets were sold out a few months ago to the black market at a price 10 times higher.
A FIFA 3rd Class ticket sold in September 2017 at an original price of $ 175 has just been resold for over $ 1,000. England and Belgium, the attacking teams, will offer a beautiful game and many goals in a comfortable spirit.
#Photo:FIFA/Zing/VTV