Sunday 11 March 2018, 08:38

95 days to go: Leaving it late

The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ is getting closer - 95 days to go!

In less than four months – on 14 June, to be precise – the 21st FIFA World Cup kicks off at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium as the hosts take on Saudi Arabia.

That leaves us plenty of time to enjoy a countdown. Between now and the start of the World Cup, we will take a closer look at a different statistic from the history of the tournament each day.

95 – While football fans know that a match lasts for 90 minutes, they are also well aware that games often go on for longer. On more than one occasion, a team has seemed certain of victory only to have it ripped from their grasp at literally the last minute – and nowhere is this turn of events more dramatic than at the World Cup. Portugal’s Varela and Italian striker Francesco Totti share the unusual honour of having scored the latest World Cup goals in normal time, with both men finding the target in the 95th minute. The former scored a header against the USA four years ago to snatch a 2-2 draw in the group stage, while the latter converted a penalty against Australia eight years earlier to fire Italy into the quarter-finals and continue their march to the title.