History of the FIFA World Cup as earning the Bronze Ball award. He led Bulgaria to a shock 2-1 win over defending champions Germany in the quarter-finals, before losing 2–1 to Italy and losing the third place play-off to Sweden, 4–0. The 1998 World Cup was held in France, and had an expanded format featuring 32 teams. Iran beat the Maldives in qualification by the widest margin in World Cup history – 17–0. In the finals, the second round match between France and Paraguay witnessed the first golden goal in World Cup history, as Laurent Blanc scored to give the hosts a 1–0 victory. Hosts France
2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage Croatia's entrance into their first ever World Cup final. Croatia are the first team to avoid defeat after trailing in three knockout matches at a single World Cup. They become the 13th different nation to reach their first World Cup Final. Trippier became the first player to score a direct free-kick for England at the World Cup since David Beckham in 2006 against Ecuador. Trippier's goal after four minutes and 44 seconds was the fastest goal scored in a World Cup semi-final since 1958 (Vavá after two minutes for Brazil v France). Croatia became the first team to play extra