Extra Time

The 2018 World Cup concluded on Sunday with France crowned champions following a fittingly thrilling final against Croatia. The tournament in Russia has been one of the most memorable in recent times, with plenty of goals, exciting games, shocks, and the introduction of VAR.

Before the 2018 World Cup is consigned to the past, Steve Luckings and Jon Turner offer their thoughts on the final, and share their most memorable moments from the tournament, including the best goals. They also turn their attention to the future and assess which players may have earned lucrative moves off the back of their World Cup performances.

And then there were two. Croatia, the comeback kings, will face France in the final of the 2018 World Cup after overcoming England and Belgium respectively.

France, world champions in 1998, contest their third World Cup final, while Croatia, population four million, are bidding to win the tournament for the first time.

Zlatko Dalic, less than 10 months into the Croatia job, will pit his wits against France’s Didier Deschamps, who is bidding to join Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer as the only men to have lifted the World Cup as both player and manager.

The stage would seem to be set for Kylian Mbappe. The teenage striker showed against Belgium why many have tipped him as a future Ballon d’Or winner. But Croatia have already proved at this tournament they care little for reputations, and in Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic, have two world-class midfielders who will look to impose their influence at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.

Before that, Belgium, arguably the most entertaining side in Russia throughout the tournament, take on England in the third place play-off.

Steve Luckings and Graham Caygill offer their thoughts and analysis, and give their predictions on who will win the remaining two matches at the 2018 World Cup.

Only four teams remain in the 2018 World Cup, with France and Belgium contesting the first semi-final on Tuesday before Croatia and England face off on Wednesday. Whichever side can win two more games will therefore be crowned champions.

France v Belgium looks set to be a battle of the front three, with Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Grioud the big threats for France, while Belgium will look to Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku to guide them to victory. 

In the other semi-final, England are expected to continue with what has served them so well in the tournament so far; relying on crosses and set pieces as Harry Kane aims to consolidate his lead in the race to win the golden boot. For Croatia, their hopes will lie predominantly with the superstar midfield pairing of Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic.

In this Extra Time podcast, Steve Luckings and Jon Turner look ahead to the semi-finals, pick out the key players who could be decisive and discuss the tactics that will be deployed by each side. They also provide their predictions for the final.

The 2018 World Cup enters the quarter-final stage on Friday as the eight remaining nations aim to keep their tournament hopes alive.

France and Uruguay contest the first of the quarter-finals, pitting one of the World Cup's most fearsome attacks against its meanest defence.

That is followed by Brazil v Belgium in what could prove the match of the round as Neymar and Eden Hazard attempt to guide their respective sides into the semi-finals.

On Saturday, it's the turn of Sweden and England, with the latter booking their place in the last-eight with a first World Cup penalty shootout victory. Concluding the quarter-final fixtures will be Russia against Croatia as the hosts aim to keep the home fans celebrating. 

In this Extra Time podcast, Steve Luckings and Jon Turner preview the quarter-final match-ups and predict which nations will reach the final four.

There is no shortage of talking points as the group stages of the 2018 World Cup wrap up.

Lionel Messi finally scored as Argentina managed to sneak through. Cristiano Ronaldo has had a goal-filled tournament for Portugal. Controversy and upsets have kept things interesting. And some elite sides such as Brazil and France have looked sluggish while managing to stay alive.

We discuss these topics, plus the use of VAR and its impact on the field, the tournament's highs and lows thus far and we look ahead to the group stages.

And there is plenty more World Cup coverage on our website.

The eyes of the football world will be fixated on Russia this summer as 32 nations compete to be crowned the 2018 World Cup champions.

Ahead of kick-off on Thursday, when hosts Russia take on Saudi Arabia in the opening match in Moscow, The National's Extra Time podcast staged a special World Cup quiz episode.

Four players, two teams battled it out in the ultimate test of World Cup trivia - John McAuley and Jon Turner took on Adam Workman and Steve Luckings with a trophy on offer for the winners and a trip to Emirates Park Zoo planned for the losing team. 

Join host and quizmaster Mustafa Alrawi to find out who emerged victorious and who is on their way to feed baby goats at the zoo!

Follow our World Cup coverage: www.thenational.ae/sport/world-cup-2018

Music: "Navajo Night" by Audionautix

The National's John McAuley flies to Russia to cover World Cup 2018 this weekend, but not before joining Jon Turner and Steve Luckings in our Abu Dhabi studio to preview what to expect from football's biggest international tournament.

With the host nation playing Saudi Arabia in the opener, Argentina perhaps featuring Lionel Messi for the final time and Egypt hoping to have a fully fit Mohammed Salah, there are plenty of storylines to keep up with. We look at these talking points, give predictions and more in this episode of Extra Time.

Follow The National and McAuley through Russia at www.thenational.ae/sport.

This week, rising UAE cricket star Chirag Suri spoke with Assistant Sports Editor Chitrabhanu Kadalayil. Suri is among a generation of homegrown players representing the national team.

The Indian-born batsman gave his views on the UAE government's announcement last week that expatriates will be eligible to join local clubs and represent the country in all sports from September. What impact will the new regulations have on the country's cricket scene, which already allows expats to play for the national side? What does it mean for an expat like him to wear the UAE jersey? And does he see himself playing alongside Emiratis one day? 

Suri, 23, also talked about the UAE cricket team's continued success on the global stage, their preparations for Asia Cup qualification, as well as his experience during last year's Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament.

Extra Time, produced by Kevin Jeffers, is the podcast from The National’s sport desk. Subscribe to and rate the show on Apple Podcasts, or listen on Audioboom, Pocket Cast or your favourite podcasting app.

After nearly 22 years in charge, Arsene Wenger announced last week that he was stepping down as Arsenal manager at the end of the season.

Arsenal have begun the search for Wenger's successor as the club look to the future without the man who has helped deliver much of their success.

A day after Wenger's announcement, Arsenal's great rivals Tottenham were defeated in the FA Cup semi-final as another season goes by without Spurs ending their 10-year wait for a trophy. 

Meanwhile, Chelsea are gathering momentum and have halved the points deficit on fourth-placed Tottenham in the Premier League and are through to a second successive FA Cup final.

In this week's Extra Time podcast, Jon Turner, Steve Luckings and Graham Cayill give their take on Wenger's impending exit, look at the situation at Tottenham and predict whether Chelsea can deliver what is expected to be a farewell gift to manager Antonio Conte.

Manchester City secured the Premier League title on Sunday following Manchester United's shock home defeat to bottom-of-the-table West Bromwich Albion.

It might have been a surprising and anti-climactic conclusion to their pursuit of the title, but there was nothing dull about City's season. A record 18 consecutive wins is testament to City's dominance this season as Pep Guardiola and his side target more records with five games remaining.

In this week's Extra Time podcast, Jon Turner, Steve Luckings and Graham Caygill pour over City's achievement, pick out the key moments and players, and look at how Guardiola turned City from the third-best team in the Premier League last season to the dominant force of the division. The final part of the show focuses on the PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year shortlists, and the arguments for whether the award show go to Kevin De Bruyne or Mohamed Salah.