If this is a World Cup of goals — scored at a record rate and by record-setting players like Lionel Messi (overtook Miroslav Klose’s tally for the most World Cup goals by an individual) and Cristiano Ronaldo (only player to score in six editions) — it is also a World Cup of defensive masterclasses.
Where Ghana’s phalanx wouldn’t admit England’s hyped attackers the pleasure of even a single breach. Where Cape Verde’s unyielding wall withstood a Spanish hurricane, and matched Uruguay in footballing nous. Where Congo held Portugal, Belgium was run aground by Iran, Curacao gave no joy to Ecuador, and there was nothing to choose between dark horses Japan and one of the tournament’s favourites, the Netherlands.
This is the World Cup where debutants, minnows, and underdogs have shown that the gap between them and the traditional powerhouses is getting narrower.
Each of the matches mentioned above offered defensive masterclasses — not just “parking the bus”, which suggests a mindless crowding in front of the goal, or goalkeeping heroics (though there has been plenty of that too).
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These teams have a tactical mastery of what to do when they don’t have the ball, which is as important as knowing what to do with it. Against Ghana on Tuesday, England had 79% of the possession and completed 586 passes with an accuracy rate of 93%, yet they could not find a goal.
Ghana played a “low-block”, the majority of their players squeezed into the middle of the park near their own box. This should’ve allowed England’s wingers space down the sidelines, but Ghana’s fullbacks had the pace and concentration to rapidly push out to neutralise the threat and quickly return to the middle.\
