The group stage finished last week after forty-eight astonishing games. There were massive upsets, beautiful goals, and lots of drama. Furthermore, politics seeped into the game at a previously unseen degree while fans across the globe enjoyed many thrilling moments.
Historic Moments
Ronaldo, the GOAT, the best human to ever touch a football, also made history. He became the joint leader for most world cups scored in at five. After scoring a penalty in his first match against Ghana, he became the first male player to achieve this feat.
Separately, the Spanish National Team recorded one of the most statistically dominant wins of all time. On the offensive front, they were flawless, scoring seven goals with seven different goal scorers, and shooting 12 times with 8 shots on target. Defensively, they were perfect, allowing no shots, keeping 82% possession, and completing 1045 passes with a 93% completion rate. All of this combined to a prospective 7-0 win for Spain.
Bukayo Saka, one of England’s best players, became the youngest player to score two or more goals in their world cup debut since 1966. Saka, Arsenal’s right wing, scored two goals against Iran at the ripe old age of 21. He joins Franz Beckenbauer with his success.
Brazil, arguably the most dominant nation in World Cup history, continued their winning culture, appearing in every single world cup. Additionally, they have never been eliminated in group stage play. Brazil also etched their name into history by having the longest unbeaten streak in group stage games with their win over Switzerland.
Canada made history by qualifying for their first World Cup since 1986. Alphonso Davies claimed Canada’s first ever tournament goal. They performed well, but lacked defensive strength. Now, Canada looks to return in the 2026 World Cup as joint hosts with the USA and Mexico.
Germany performed disgracefully this World Cup, reliving their struggles from 2018 as they have been knocked-out for the second group stage in a row. Problems arose on both sides of the ball as they lacked sufficient offense and defense.
Qatari Problems
Qatar was a questionable venue coming into the World Cup given their lack of stadiums, problematic infrastructure, and absence of soccer culture. These criticisms found root as Qatar made a poor display at the tournament, scoring only one goal despite conceding seven. This poor play furthered fans’ skepticism of FIFA’s selection of Qatar as this year’s host.
Similarly, Qatar faced heavy criticism for banning alcoholic drinks during games. They faced extreme backlash as Ecuadorian fans chanted “We want beer” after beating Qatar 2-0. They cited religious reasons for this decision. However, fans were still disappointed in the verdict. Qatar also faced retaliation because of their joint decision with FIFA to ban rainbows from the stadiums. However, this didn’t stop one fan from invading the field with a pride flag draped around his back like a cape.
Upsets and Exciting Matches
In Germany’s first match at this world cup, they came in with a lazy attitude open to attack from the talented Japanese side. Germany can be regarded as mattress makers, because after making a lead for themselves, they rested on it. The Japanese high-pressed the German backline, forcing errors and capitalizing on the Germans’ mistakes.
Brazil lined up with no starters and still outperformed Cameroon. They controlled possession, had more shots and more shots on target. They also completed almost twice as many passes as Cameroon. This game wasn’t a story of Cameroon’s brilliance against a strong squad. This game served as a testament to Brazil’s squad depth and quality despite their 1-0 loss.
Similarly to Brazil, France started the game with two returning players. Although France lost 1-0 to Cameroon, they still dominated the possession, had double the passes, and twice as many shots. France’s loss didn’t cost them much, but it showcased their incredible talent.
Messi’s first game at the 2022 World Cup kicked off with an emphatic loss. Argentina, holding a 36 game unbeaten streak coming into this tournament, lost to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi side, ranked fifty-first in the world, out-worked Argentina to win 2-1, conceding on a single penalty.
Summary
This world cup has been very high quality, with many exciting moments. Historically good teams have struggles against traditionally poor teams. This is because of the universality of soccer, and its expansion into countries outside of Europe and South America. With the finish of the group stage and round of sixteen, eight teams are left: Netherlands, Argentina, Morocco, Brazil, Croatia, Portugal, England, and France. All games are available on Fox Sports and FS1 in English. Telemundo also broadcasts the game in Spanish.
