From triumphant atmosphere to heated controversies, from tensioned dramas to underdogs’ upsets, the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar had everything a football fan dreams of. No one was predicting a scenario like this in the biggest sporting event in the world, but the footballing gods had different ideas and decided to make the 22nd edition of the prestigious tournament as the best for generations to come.
We have a few incidents that deserve to be called the moment of the competition below.
Saudi Arabia’s Comeback Victory Over Argentina
La Albiceleste came to the tournament with a 36-game undefeated streak, and was one game away from tying Italy’s all-time record of staying unbeaten for 37 consecutive games. Taking an early lead through Lionel Messi’s penalty set the tone for the record-breaking moment, but the Green Falcons scored two in six minutes to achieve the impossible and created arguably the biggest upset football fans have ever seen in the World Cup. Saudi Arabia was knocked out from the group eventually, but they remained the only team to beat Lionel Scaloni’s title-winning team in the tournament.
Japan Overcame Germany and Spain
Many forecasted that Samurai Blue would end up the third-best team in Group E, but little did they know the Asian country would not only upset one, but two former world champions, Germany and Spain, within the short span of ten days. Falling short to reach its first-ever quarterfinal after losing to Croatia in a penalty shoot-out was a sad ending to Japan’s brave run in the competition, but fans will certainly remember their heroes’ performance against powerhouses of European and world football.
Japan’s Debatable Goal and Class Act to Clean Stadiums
More Japanese moments here as we want to shout out for Samurai Blue’s extraordinary journey in the Qatar World Cup. One notable Japanese incident came against Spain in the final Group E encounter, in which the second Japan goal was ruled valid upon a check via Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Many angles showed that the goal, which made Germany crash out of the tournament, should have been disallowed, but VAR claimed that the ball was partially still in play during the cross. Fans supporting the Japan national team won everyone’s heart too by taking the initiative to clean up stadiums after watching their favourite team play. When asked about the noble action, a Japanese famously responded, “We are Japanese, and we do not leave rubbish behind us, and we respect the place.”
Brazil Beaten by an African Team for the First Time
The Seleção had already secured qualification to the knockout round in its previous group fixture before the match against Cameroon, but take no credits from Les Lions Indomptables as Rigobert Song’s men fully deserved their victory. Captain Vincent Aboubakar scored the only goal of the match in the dying moments and took off his shirt to embrace the vast national cheers given, he was all smiles despite being shown a red card for that as a famous first victory over Brazil by a team from the African continent was written in the books.
Morocco the Surprise Package
By beating Portugal, Morocco became the first and only African country to reach the final four of the World Cup and was one win away from winning Africa’s first medal in the history of the World Cup. Although Walid Regragui’s squad ended the campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Luka Modrić’s Croatia in the third-place playoff, they can all take pride in their incredible run. It is going to take an enormous amount of effort for any African countries to run it back like Morocco did in Qatar last year.
Argentina Winning It All
Messi winning a World Cup at last on possibly his final attempt at the biggest trophy football can offer and completing the missing piece of silverware in his elusive cabinet are some unparalleled feat. His photo holding the World Cup trophy on Instagram became the most liked photo ever since the inception of social media too. Clearly every football fan is happy about what Argentina has accomplished in this year’s World Cup and many have said that Messi is officially the best ever to play the game of football.
What is your favourite moment in this year’s World Cup?
The legendary Pelé passed away at the age of 82, we relive how a 17-year-old him burst onto the scene at the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden: https://www.wclivestream.net/how-good-was-the-17-year-old-pele-in-the-1958-fifa-world-cup-in-sweden/
