A World Cup that gave its all, and more

A crazy own goal, a penalty kick awarded after a video replay, a goalkeeping blunder for the bloopers reel, and a Pussy Riot pitch invasion. And this was all just in the final itself.

It's only been a little over a day, and already I'm having a terrible dose of withdrawal symptoms. The month-long World Cup in Russia exceeded all expectations and defied logic, an organised chaos that enthralled the planet from start to finish.

The signs that this football tournament would be unlike any other in history were evident from the first day on June 14 when host nation Russia - the lowest-ranked of the 32 participating teams - stunned everyone, including even themselves, by trouncing Saudi Arabia 5-0.