Post-Game Analysis: World Cup 2026

The 2026 FIFA World Cup was more than a tournament of goals, stars, surprises and disappointments. It was also an opportunity to watch football through a somewhat different lens, not merely as spectators interested in who won or lost, but as observers interested in how and why teams win or lose. Throughout the competition, there were familiar but sometimes uncomfortable questions: What does possession really mean if it does not produce goals? What happens when coaching fails to respond to the realities unfolding on the field? How important are tactics, substitutions, physical endurance and defensive organization? And, beyond football itself, what do the games reveal about power, history, identity and the continuing inequalities embedded in the global game?

This commentary records a journey through the knockout stages of the 2026 World Cup, from the Round of 16 through the quarter-finals and semi-finals, the third-place playoff, and finally the championship match, but not all the games were covered. The US vs Belgium game in the Round of 16 was boycotted because it was tainted by a presidential intervention into the suspension of a US player! And, unfortunately, most of the African games were not covered here because they were eliminated before the commentary started. The African team games not covered by the commentary were discussed in earlier exchanges but not included here. Along the way, subjective readings of the games were offered, and the players' and the coaching decisions were sometimes seriously discussed provocatively, and occasionally with a little humour. The focus is not simply on the final score. A score tells us who won; the game itself often tells us why.

The tournament repeatedly demonstrated that football is an unforgiving sport. Possession without penetration, attacks without finishing, star players without support, and tactical plans without effective in-game adjustments can all produce failure. Conversely, disciplined defending, hard work, timely substitutions, physical endurance and the ability to exploit a single opportunity can change the entire course of a match. As observed in the Morocco–Canada encounter, possession by itself is ultimately meaningless unless it is converted into goals.

What follows is therefore not intended to be a conventional statistical review of the World Cup. It is a post-game conversation with the tournament, one in which football meets history, economics, politics, culture and, occasionally, satire. Moreover, what we have presented below are only lead-offs. As you might imagine, the lead-offs got us into provocative and stimulating exchanges; while often thinking on our feet! Phew!! Readers are invited to watch the games again through this lens.

Round of 16:

Post-Game Analysis (I): Morocco vs Canada 07/04/2026

At Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas, we have the decision: Morocco 3 Canada 0. Morocco, one of the two remaining African hopefuls advances to the quarter finals. Canada is eliminated! The game unfolded as follows:

In the First Half, Canada came out swinging, fast and furious. It was a full-scale attack at Morocco characterized by dominant possession of the ball. Predictably, Morocco was stunned. The Atlas Lions temporarily lost focus. As if that was not enough, Morocco also lost their star forward Ismail Saibari to a hamstring injury in the very first 20 minutes of the game!

If Morocco’s slow start and injury of their star player were frustrating, Canada too had their own problems. The Canucks soon realized that their lightning unsustainable speed and dominant possession were not being converted to goals. With all these frustrations both teams resorted to rough contact football resulting in a flurry of yellow cards. However, at the end of the first scoreless half, it was clearly Morocco which most needed to regroup and re-set its game.

In the second half Morocco was still sluggish. However, they seemed to have a plan. They put up some solid defense which fended off the Canadians for the next 30 minutes. Morocco also made sure that their strikers were in position for counterattacks and surprise breakaways. This paid off, but in the end, special thanks must go to the clinical talents of their other star, Ounahi. His first goal for Morocco early in the second half on a free kick, was skillfully and powerfully executed to perfection. He skillfully scored yet another second goal on a counterattack shortly afterwards. Rahimi iced the cake in the closing seconds of the game with another sharp goal to pad the lead. Morocco 3 Canada 0 Final.

Morocco took over more ball possession in the second half and neutralized Canadian threats at the dangerous horn to only five minutes between the 75^th and 80^th minutes of play. This reveals some interesting takeaways from the game: First, sheer possession of the ball is meaningless. You need goals both theoretically and practically. Canada definitely had a coaching problem of putting men in strategic positions at the dangerous horn. That might be excused in the first half, but should surely have been addressed in the second half. To cite just one example: Canada had a whopping eleven (11) corner kicks (compared to Morocco’s only one), with nothing to show for all these, not even significant threats at the goal post. The Canucks also failed to take advantage of numerous free kicks from the edges of the penalty areas.  Secondly, while I am sure Canada had a good asynchronous coaching plan, I looked in vain for a synchronous in-game coaching plan to address the massive inaccurate passes. Where the hell was the coaching from the bench? The Atlas Lions, on the other hand, had a plan both asynchronously and synchronously, and had goals theoretically which they converted to practical real goals.

Post-Game Analysis (II): France vs Paraguay, 07/04/2026

At Lincoln Financial Field [Philadelphia Stadium], it was France vs Paraguay in the second game of the day. Result: France 1 Paraguay 0. France advances to the quarterfinals, and Paraguay is eliminated. The main points:

It was a game of two contrasting styles. France was calm, composed and methodic. In contrast, Paraguay seemed to want to show that they were not intimidated by the French stars, and were prepared to rough them up. They did precisely that. They either roughly tackled the French fabulous five—Dembele, Mbappe, Olise, Baracola and Doue—or attempted to induce what turned out to be racist acts of hooliganism. The results were mixed and disrupting. And the refereeing was poor.

The referee frequently gave Paraguay the benefit of the doubt and let the teams play even when Paraguay deserved a warning or yellow card. It became too much after a back-to-back rough-up of Doue in the second half. A penalty was allowed after review. Mbappe scored the sole goal on the penalty kick in the 69^th minute.

In the last 15 minutes of the game, Paraguay seemed to devote most of their declining low energy to rough football, and it is amazing that the referee not only allowed this to continue but seemed to blame the French players for lesser offences. Watching the game, it is difficult to believe that French players were issued three yellow cards—(Barcola, Kone, Olise), and Paraguay none!

Despite often neutralizing the French strikers, Paraguay played an unnecessarily rough and dirty game. This was so evident that after the game, they charged the field, hoping in vain, to trick the veteran French players into further racist acts of hooliganism at Philadelphia Stadium! That said, France underperformed. In the first half the French strikers seemed to be missing in action. It was the mid-fielders, Kone and Rabiot who were striking at the goal, but missing. And in the second half, Mbappe missed two shots which would normally be goals by Mbappe’s standards. In other words, the French strikers needed to raise their game a notch, and tackle more in the quarterfinals.

Post-Game Analysis (III), Norway vs Brazil, 07/05/2026

At New York, New Jersey Stadium, Brazil and Norway squared off in a bid to get to the quarterfinals. We have the envelope. Norway 2, Brazil 1. Norway advances to the quarterfinals, and Brazil, the house which Pele built, is eliminated!

This game was often painful to watch!

From the Brazilian perspective, the dominant theme of the game was big-time misses on big-time opportunities, whether it was the penalty kick or on the occasions in which they tackled their way into Norway’s dangerous horn. The definitive strikes just did not come on time. Worse still Brazil played a defensive game for the most part with only sporadic counterattacks.

Ironically, Norway played a similar type of game, but with better results, for two reasons: First, they were the physically stronger team, and had more endurance. This enabled them to penetrate the Brazilian defense. On this, they were blessed with the offensive skills of Haaland who brilliantly scored their two goals. Secondly credit must also go to their goalie. He saved the first penalty kick and some other incisive strikes by Brazil.

Congratulations to Norway for crushing the party of the big boys, even though this is uncharted territory for them. As for Brazil, will the real Brazil please show up? Will the house that Pele built please arise? 

Post-Game Analysis (IV), England vs Mexico, 07/05/2026

At Mexico City Stadium, it was England vs Mexico in the Round of 16 en route to the quarterfinals. The verdict is in. England 3 Mexico 2. Thus, England advances to the quarterfinals and Mexico is eliminated.

This was an exciting game which unfolded in four phases. The first phase consisted of an offensive game which started a bit slowly in the first 30 minutes. Both teams threatened each other with shots to the goals, but none scored during this 30-minute frame. In fact, it was a see-saw affair until the 35^th minute when both teams exploded into action. In this second explosive phase, England scored two back to back goals in the 36^th and 37^th minutes both by Bellingham with assists from Saka and Kane. Mexico answered back with its own goal well struck by Quinones. At halftime it was 2-1 in England’s favor.

The second half opened with both teams getting into penalty troubles. The first penalty was awarded to England when the Mexican goalie, Rangel, brought down a charging English forward, Gordon. Kane took it and scored England’s third goal in the 59^th minute. Ten minutes later, Mexico was awarded a penalty kick too, and a red card issued to England. Raul took the kick and scored for Mexico. England 3, Mexico 2. With the red card issued, England was now down to 10 players in the remaining 20 minutes of regulation time. Thus, during this fourth End of the Affair phase, Mexico was tasked with equalizing the goals to force extra time while England had to defend the one goal lead for the victory. 

England prevailed, while Mexico fell short, but not for lack of trying. Their forceful charges came well after regulation time and were too little too late!

Post-Game Analysis (V): Spain vs Portugal 07/06/2026

At AT & T Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the Iberians squared off against each other to determine who is in charge of the Peninsular. The victor was expected to lead the quest for football world domination on behalf of the Peninsular. 

We can now confirm that the supremacy belongs to Spain. Spain 1 Portugal 0—Final—Spain advances to the quarterfinals, and Portugal is eliminated.

The Game Itself

It was a dynamic first half, largely dominated by Spain, based on ball possession and dangerous attacks. Portugal had their moments, but they did not run that much, or tackle significantly. This led to their underutilization of open spaces. It is a bit surprising that the first half was scoreless. Credit for this must go to the goalies. Both Costa [Portugal] and Simon [Spain] were superb defensively.

In the first 15 minutes of the second half, Portugal righted the ship, run and tackled more, and therefore utilized the open spaces better. Unfortunately, they lost their key player, left-back defensive star, Mendes, to injury in the very first 10 minutes of the second half.

Most of the rest of the game was dominated by Spain. It is funny that the bigger Iberians seemed to benefit more from Hydration Breaks than their lesser counterpart. That said, Spain had a deliberate goal of utilizing the Wings during the attacks. That was fine, but overconcentrating attacks from the Right Wing got me frustrated. For a whopping 30 minutes of the second half, balls came flowing from the right wing to the middle of the dangerous horn like water. Alas, no striker in the middle to finish the job and balls started flowing harmlessly across to the Left Wing.  Midfielder Pedri, and effective strikers-Olmo, Yamal, and Oyarzabal were all either missing in action or had been substituted for. 

So, the fruitless right wing attacks continued--that is, until the 91^st minute of regulation time, when two Spanish substitutes took charge. Result: Torres to Merino, Merino scores…Gooaaaal!!!!!...Spain 1 Portugal 0-Final- The rest is history, and probably a World Cup farewell to the great Portuguese star Ronaldo.

On October 19, 1469 Queen Isabella I of Castile, married King Ferdinand II of Aragon in a unity bid to counter the dominance of Portugal within the Peninsular. The marriage, which was completely loveless, achieved the purpose. Today’s game, however, shows that blue collar hard work…running and tackling, can also do the job, probably even better, and cheaper than royal elitist loveless marriages!

Quarter-Finals:

Post-Game Analysis (I), France vs Morocco, 07/09/2026

At Gillette Boston Stadium, Boston, the Africans in France, and Africans in Morocco squared off in a bid to get to the semifinals. We have the envelope: France 2, Morocco 0 in regulation time. France advances to the semifinals, and Morocco is eliminated. 

Head to head, Morocco was clearly the underdog in this encounter. But something else: In the pre-game showcasing, it was revealed that the officiating team would be exclusively lifted from Argentina! That got some of us nauseated about what FIFA might be up to yet again! The appearance of Argentina favoritism has not been a secret in this World Cup.

The first phase of the game was dominated by the assault of the French attackers and the defensive genius of Moroccan goalie, Bounoi. The goalie fended off numerous attacks by France recording three powerful saves including a penalty kick by Mbappe. That penalty, however, took too long to confirm, and that may have affected Mbappe’s concentration. Morocco survived the scoreless first half with only one shot of their own at the French goal.

During the second phase, second half of the game, it was again all France on the offensive and Morocco on the defensive. Mbappe’s goal in the 59^th minute and Dembele’s in the 65^th minute were all magic! A flurry of substitutions followed for both teams.

In the 77^th minute of the game, injured Mbappe and Doue were substituted for by Mateta and Barcola. The big question in the last minutes of the game revolved around whether Morocco could penetrate the French defense, rally to equalize the goals, and force extra frames. It turned out that the depth of the French bench was solid enough to hold the fort. The Africans in France outplayed the Africans in Morocco by a wide margin. Indeed, the Atlas Lions were clearly depleted. I learnt something interesting during this game: None of the Moroccan players in the game were born in Morocco! Should Morocco be grouped in the category of Western football imperialists? Maybe, but for sure, they should get the hell out of Western Sahara!

Post-Game Analysis (II): England vs Norway, 07/11/2026

England 2 Norway 1 in extra time. England advances to the semifinals.

This Northern European game was not bland at all. In fact, the Scandinavian/Nordics and the British Isles/Empire and Commonwealth, beat up on each other to a pulp!

The Rugged Enduring Vikings put enormous pressure on the Three Lions throughout the game and managed to keep it tied for most of regulation time. The problem seems to have been the conflicting objectives of taking it to the English while at the same time protecting their star, Captain Haaland, whose magic was supposed to save them in the end. Actually, Haaland hurt the team by committing a hard foul just before Norway scored what would have been a second goal. The goal was disallowed after review. The captain ended up on the bench too soon and according to our intelligence sources, was seen crying profusely in the last minutes of the game!

England on the other hand, had far more diverse resources and manpower to deploy. They recruited from the far-flung Empire and the Commonwealth. During critical moments the King's men from the Empire fought back doggedly. Led by Saka and Bellingham, not only did they overpower the rugged depleted endures, they also effectively protected their own captain of Empire, Kane. That paid off for stability and confidence. That most loyal servant of the Empire, Bellingham scored the two goals for England. Celebrations erupted in Miami and our intelligence sources reported hearing English songs of football witchcraft and hooliganism, never heard before in the US at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami!

As always, the Empire and Commonwealth prevailed on behalf of England. How about some respect and compensation for their sweat? Stay tuned.

Semi-Finals:

Post-Game Analysis (I): France vs Spain: Semi-Finals (I) 07/14/2026

At AT&T Dallas Stadium in Arlington Texas, the Iberians have defeated France 2-0 and will advance to the Finals. The defending European Champions will return to the Finals for the first time since 2010. Congratulations to Spain!

The first of the Spanish goals in the first half was on a penalty awarded after French defender Digne committed a foul against Spanish winger/striker Yamal. The goal was scored by striker center forward, Oyarzabal. The second Spanish goal, in the second half was scored by defender Porro.

Tactically, initially, the two teams played a similar game. France attacked and counterattacked making the best use of open spaces, while Spain did the same, but used the wings more—this time both right and left wings.

The big difference in the game seemed to have been the effectiveness of the Spanish defense. Their suffocating blockades were frustrating enough for the French, who lost their own suffocating defender, Saliba, to injury in the first half. The Spanish defenders also seemed to excel in the well-known tactic of suddenly drawing back in unison to induce off-side calls on the French strikers.

A flurry of substitutions in the last 20 minutes of the game, did not seem to affect the momentum of the game. Spain was growing more confident and defending their two goals even more effectively. France on the other hand, was getting more frustrated and desperate. Mbappe tried everything in the books to no avail. Olise did everything possible: tackled, assisted, defended, fouled—also to no avail. Clearly, Olise was multi-tasking too much. In the substitutions, Barcola gave way to Doue with no spark. Workhorse Dembele who together with Mbappe played the whole game, was calm and enduring but did not get adequate opportunities, especially after the substitutions brought in new players from the bench. I would question how coach Didier used his attack corps under pressure. Example: why was Barcola, who was playing better than Olise and Dembele substituted? The magic and aura of the French team immediately fizzled then. Midfielder Cherki was heard claiming that the French team defeated itself. The once-mighty team played and looked ordinary towards the end of the game. Not a good story!

Post-Game Analysis (II): England vs Argentina: Semi-Finals (II) 07/15/2026

At Mercedes-Benz Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia, we have some breaking news: Argentina will play Spain in the World Cup Finals. Argentina 2 England 1 in a thriller in Atlanta. This game was war, with or without memories of the Falklands War of 1982.

The first 30 minutes of the first half was intense with both sides pushing and shoving, resulting in at least 10 fouls, without a shot at the goal. At this stage, the referee issued warnings, but no yellow cards, until the 38^th and 41^st minutes when Anderson [England] and Martinez [Argentina] were booked with one each. The refereeing was excellent. The quickest summary of the happenings in this first half is probably to give the verdict of a draw. Both sides did what they had to do, although I loved the blue-collar sweatshop attitude of English defender James. He worked the hardest.

The second half opened with the same intensity as the first one, but this time the referee immediately issued a yellow card to Argentina defender, Romero, in the 51^st minute which sent the message that yellow cards were ready for those who deserved them. Things calmed down a bit. Both teams mounted attacks and counterattacks, but it was England’s counterattack which drew the first blood. Gordon scored the sole goal for England in the 54^th minute, on that counterattack.

A turning point in the game happened from the 70^th minute, all the way to the end. England seemed to slow down, workhorse James was substituted, Bellingham seemed to have been contained, and I do not recall a Saka sighting. Where was Saka? Were the Metropole, Empire, and the Commonwealth going adrift? Anyway, between minutes 70 and 80, Argentina mounted direct and close shots at the English goal, and could have scored their two goals then, if it were not for the defensive wit of English goalie, Pickford. England was suddenly rattled under pressure. Argentina equalized the goal on a Fernandez strike in the 85^th minute, and then went ahead for good when Martinez, just off the bench, scored the second goal in the 90 (+ 2) minute of the game to pad the lead. Both scores were assisted by the Argentine star Messi.  Argentina advances to the Finals, with Spain, while the Entente Cordiale [England and France] will play for the bronze as a consolation. The Falklands War is avenged, yet again, at least in football terms!

Third Place Play-Off:

Post-Game Analysis: England vs France: 2026 FIFA World Cup Third Place Playoff 07/18/2026

At Hard Rock Miami Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, England 6 France 4. England will pocket the Bronze as third place winner.

This game turned out to be kind of interesting.

The first half was absolutely one sided in favor of England. In that frame, France completely ignored defense and actually played without it. Defenders watched England penetrate their territory without a tackle! Moreover, the French offense was not a threat either. The English defense dispossessed the ball from them at will. The result was predictable and could have been worse. England 4 France 0. The English goals were scored by Rice, Konsa and Saka (2). Apparently, France had never been abused like this in the first half of football since probably 1958!

In the second half, both teams made substitutions. France started playing some defense, and it was darn good. Offensively, Cherki was substituted as was Doue. Barcola and Dembele joined the show to constitute the Mbappe, Olise, Dembele and Barcola fab four at the attack zone. This paid off handsomely for France, with three unanswered goals, between the 48^th and 65^th minutes. Mbappe scored two to place him atop of the World Cup golden boot goals with 10.  Barcola, who deserved more playing time than he got, scored the other. Olise assisted the first Mbappe goal, but missed many opportunities when he himself was fed with the ball to score, as opposed to assist. Olise was also often overpowered and dispossessed off the ball too many times for my liking.

The last act of the drama occurred in the last few minutes of the game, after France had narrowed the English lead to one goal. During this phase, England made more substitutions, brought in their star, Bellingham and then also went on the offensive. In the 87^th minute England was awarded a penalty, easily converted by Saka for the rare hat trick. Saka played so well that I wonder why his playing time was limited in previous games. But wait, Dembele brought France back to within one goal in the 90+ 6 minute. That would, however, be immediately negated by a brilliant tackle and score by the English star Bellingham in the 90+ 8 minute. England 6 France 4 Final Score. Tense, hectic, but a clean game for the former leading colonial powers. They thoroughly exploited their former African colonial subjects. This West African proverb is apt: “monkey dey work, baboon dey chop”!

So, what exactly was interesting about this game? I can certainly see some interesting embarrassing records broken. I can see that the competition for World Cup goals is still alive. I enjoyed watching the hat trick from the unsung hero, Saka. And, England’s star, Bellingham, was superb in sealing the deal. On the French attack side, I could see that the combo of Mbappe, Olise, Dembele and Barcola is the best, going forward. But I will also note that in the past two games, Olise did not play as well as expected. He was multi-tasking too much! 

World Cup Final:

Post-Game Analysis: Spain vs Argentina: 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals. 07/19/2026

At New York, New Jersey Stadium, we have the verdict: Spain 1 Argentina 0 in extra time. Congratulations to Spain for doing it again in 2026 in similar fashion as in 2010. Special thanks to the players, coaches, and the cute mascot dog, Musa!

The game generated four discernable critical areas of interest as follows: (i) Possession Control (ii) Argentina on the Brink (iii) Extra Time, and (iv) Last Call for Argentina. We examine each in turn.

Spain won possession control throughout regulation time, and when it was briefly under Argentina’s control, won it back with little challenge. Argentina seemed to be more interested in saving Messi for something. Indeed, this was the most one-sided First Half I have ever seen in a World Cup Final. In the entire first half, Argentina had no shots at the goal, no attempt to do so, and a mere 35% possession. In contrast, Spain had 10 shots, 16 attempts and 65% ball possession!

In the Second Half, Argentina seemed to be on the brink of annihilation. However, as long as there were no goals scored, and as long as Messi was “saved for magic,” Argentina still had a fighting chance. This is a team which apparently excels under pressure, and most of their winning recent goals were scored after the 75^th minute of regulation time. Moreover, up to that time, goalie Martinez had already tied a World Cup Final record with 8 saves. One problem: Argentine regular midfielder Fernandez was issued a yellow card, which converted an earlier yellow to a red card. He was, thereby, forced out of the game, depleting Argentina’s manpower to 10. Despite all these, the game was still scoreless in regulation time.

By Extra Time, I began to wonder. Argentina was thoroughly dominated in the game, they were now down to 10 men. Messi was still extinct. What business did they have to still be in the game with Spain? Well, it is all about goals, and goals in football. Argentina seemed to be hanging in there, slowing the game, hoping it would remain scoreless into the penalty phase which they apparently also excel in. Already, they got the benefit of the doubt as one Spanish goal had been ruled out on a very, very, soft foul. Unfortunately, that dream was shattered in the 106^th minute on the sole score of the game by substitute Torres in a very well assisted play by substitute Williams.

The Last Call for Argentina came in the last 90 seconds of the game. Messi, who was being saved for the magic, suddenly erupted from the Latin American cone. There were some flashes of the magic in the form of close shaves, at least two pathetic shots at the Spanish goal (compared with Spain’s 20) none on target, and a few corner kicks most of which Messi, himself, chose to take, rather than convert! Alas, too little too late as everything fell short. There is only so much you can accomplish in 90 seconds. Moreover, whilst doing magic and winning while on the brink may be a skill, I doubt it is a repeatable skill. It worked for the Creoles of the New World twice in previous games, this time the Peninsulars of the Old World would have none of it! Spain 1 Argentina 0 Final. It turns out Messi was saved and spoiled in this game for nothing! As we sign-off, French star Mbappe has won the golden boot ahead of him.

There are many Players of the Game. Mine is on the losing side, and falls in the “sweatshop” [unsung] category. Argentine Goalie: Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez — All Time Record Holder with 11 Saves, the most ever recorded in a World Cup Final!

Conclusion

And so, the World Cup journey comes to an end. Spain are champions, Argentina are runners-up, England take the bronze, and the rest return home to contemplate what might have been. But beyond the medals and the celebrations, this tournament has once again demonstrated the fundamental unpredictability of football. Great reputations do not guarantee victory. Possession does not guarantee goals. Star players cannot always rescue their teams. And sometimes the decisive contribution comes not from the celebrated superstar, but from the player quietly doing the hard work in the background.

That is perhaps the most important lesson to take from these games. Football remains a collective enterprise. The great teams combined individual brilliance with organization, tactical discipline, physical commitment and timely decision-making. The weaker performances often revealed the opposite: missed opportunities, poor positioning, ineffective substitutions, inadequate responses from the bench, or an overreliance on individual magic. Spain's victory over Argentina in the final was a fitting illustration. Argentina survived despite being dominated for long periods, but eventually Spain's sustained pressure and organization produced the decisive goal in extra time.

There were also lessons beyond the pitch. The tournament reminded us that football is never entirely divorced from the societies in which it is played. Questions of race, migration, colonial history, national identity, officiating, commercial power and the uneven development of footballing nations repeatedly surfaced in the readings of the games. Whether one agrees with all of these interpretations or not, these are questions worth asking. Football's enormous global popularity gives it a cultural and political significance that extends far beyond ninety minutes on a field.

Finally, let's acknowledge the players who rarely receive the headlines: the defenders who tackle, the midfielders who run, the goalkeepers who make extraordinary saves, the substitutes who change games and the workhorses who quietly keep their teams alive. In the final, the “Player of the Game” was not on the winning side. It was Argentina's goalkeeper, Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez, whose extraordinary performance kept Argentina in contention for as long as possible.

The scoreboard records the winner. History records the champion. But the beauty of football is that every match leaves behind a story, and every story leaves room for another interpretation.

Until the next World Cup, the game goes on, and let’s keep in touch.

Joseph Engwenyu is Professor of African and World History at Eastern Michigan University.

Acknowledgements: I am most grateful to the comrades who followed and discussed the games with me: Horace, David, Michael, and especially, Shaibu Gariba who convinced me that our narratives are worth sharing.