OFFSIDE: Too many goals at World Cup 2026? Wait for the knockout rounds…
Golden Boot Race Having a Ball Defence, where art thou? Wait for the Knockout Stages? Third-placed showdown Meme Watch Ted Lasso was a rare silver
Golden Boot Race Having a Ball Defence, where art thou? Wait for the Knockout Stages? Third-placed showdown Meme Watch Ted Lasso was a rare silver lining during the dark days of COVID. As the world went into lockdown, an American football coach managing a soccer team had the enviable job of not just coaching a team in a sport that he did not know, but also uplifting the world’s spirits in its gloomiest days. And against all odds, Ted Lasso managed that and finally made Americans fall in love with a sport that was roundly associated with suburban mums and minivans.The received wisdom till then was that soccer was not high-scoring and fast-moving enough like baseball, basketball, hockey and American football, and therefore would not appeal to the American mind. Perhaps that is one of the reasons this World Cup, with North America as co-host, has been one of the most free-scoring tournaments in recent memory.Football lovers have tried to proffer various reasons for this. Some have blamed hydration breaks. Others point to the ball that is ostensibly harder to catch and has a mind of its own mid-air. Some blame the 48-team World Cup that has led to lopsided contests because we have never seen a nation being thrashed 7-1. Sunday League purists claim stringent refereeing is preventing defenders from kicking the bollocks out of attackers.But the numbers at least aren’t made up.
After 54 matches, this edition has 161 goals. That’s 2.98 per game. Qatar 2022 finished with 172 goals in 64 matches at 2.69 per game. Russia 2018 managed 2.64. South Africa 2010 was 2.27 per game.Is it just the group-stage shenanigans or is there something more? Because group stages lie. They often flatter and exaggerate like life insurance agents.The race for the Golden Boot also looks equally ridiculous. Messi already has five goals. In many World Cups, that count would get you the gong. Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland are stranded on four each, accidentally sorted by hunger. Deniz Undav, Johan Manzambi, Matheus Cunha, Ismael Saibari and Jonathan David are on three. Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane, and a host of others, are lurking on two.The ball too has become part of the story and the Adidas Trionda has been unfairly compared to the Jabulani from 2010 that was the most hated sphere since the meteor wiped out the dinosaurs. England goalkeeper Joe Hart has raised suspicions about the ball, pointing out that even elite players are being hoodwinked into moving awkwardly because of it. The Trionda has a four-panel construction and deep seams that can give the ball a mind of its own and make it harder for keepers.Yet it’s not always just the ball. Defending, fans have said, has become a lost art in the game. Too much refereeing has got rid of the brawlers, the hard tacklers, the men who put their heads where angels feared to tread.
The BriefWire