So, that's it. The 2018 World Cup is officially over. All that remains is for everyone to say 'félicitations' to France and accept that they were the best team in the tournament at the end.
The final finished 4 - 2 to the French and it had a bit of everything. Some great goals, some dodgy goalkeeping, some controversy, and even a pitch invader or two chucked in for good measure.
Now, you'd imagine that the kind of security that Russia would lay on for that sort of event would be enough to keep the general public from sprinting across the park. It wasn't.
Anyway, after the invaders managed to get onto the pitch, the Russian security guards came on and removed them in somewhat of a heavy-handed fashion.
Now, that's not cool either, but if you're going to be a pitch invader it's sort of an occupational hazard that the security guards might rough you up a bit when they catch you.
In the immediate aftermath of the final it has been reported by several news outlets that the Russian protest group Pussy Riot was behind the four-person pitch invasion.
The World Cup in Russia was dogged by concerns that there would be trouble beforehand, and it turned out to be one of the best World Cups in living memory. There has been trouble, but most of it has been pretty small, and even less of it has even been heard of outside of the people who were there.
That said, there has been a remarkable amount of concern expressed online for the safety of the pitch invaders, not because they don't deserve a bit of a talking to, but because this is an event taking place in Russia, after all.
On the upside, one of the pitch invaders did actually get a high five from Kylian Mbappe, which is probably a highlight.
Still, it was a great final, it had a bit of everything, and the best team won in the end.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: SPORT, Russia 2018, Football, FIFA, Croatia, World Cup, France
