This past Sunday the 2022 Qatar World Cup finished with one of the most exciting finals I have ever seen. I was very happy to see Argentina win by defeating France, thus ending a 20 year title drought for South America (last won by Brazil in 2002). I was even more happy to see the great Lionel Messi finally lift the most cherished of trophies, and the only one that remained for him to win. At the age of 35 he has now done it all in world soccer and can be regarded as one of the greatest of all times (alongside Pele and Maradona). There's no question that he wanted this trophy more than anything, and he had his entire team, nation, and most of the world supporting this epic quest.
This tournament was unlike previous World Cups in that it was the first ever hosted by a middle Eastern country in Qatar. Also that it was held during wintertime as opposed to the traditional summer window. Of course there was much controversary regarding how a small country without any soccer culture such as Qatar was able to win the bid. Many allegations of corruption and bribery were raised. Nonetheless FIFA president Gianni Infantino carried on with Qatar's bid and supported them throughout preparation. 8 modern venues were built in the cities of Doha, Al Rayyan, and Lusail (with the largest being Lusail Stadium that seated 88,966 and hosted the final match).
Unfortunately there was continued controversary throughout the tournament pertaining to Qatar's strict politics. This included human rights issues, reneging on promises (such as not serving alcohol in their stadiums), and prejudice against homosexuals. Quite shockingly the renown American soccer journalist Grant Wahl died during his coverage of the tournament (just several days after he protested Qatar's ban of the gay pride). It was later discovered that Wahl had a preexisting condition, and there was no evidence of foul play but still very shocking. Aside from these issues however Qatar still succeeded in hosting a very exciting and memorable soccer tournament.
So as I have done in the past I'm going to highlight some of my favorite teams and players of the tournament. I did my best to catch almost every game starting back in late November. The games usually aired at 5am, 8am, 10am, and 2pm. I watched many at work, but also got to enjoy several at my parents house and my new house in Zionsville. This past Sunday I hosted a big house warming party for the final match (almost 30 family members attended) and we were all so happy to see Argentina win. I couldn't have asked for a better party and even a birthday present. I have always loved the World Cup tournament more than any other sporting event and once again it delivered on so many levels.
Argentina Wins it's 3rd Title
Having won the Copa America in 2021, Argentina was considered one of the favorites coming into this tournament alongside Brazil and France. However one of the early shocks of the tournament came when Saudi Arabia defeated Argentina 2-1 on the opening match of the group stage. This was one of the biggest upsets in world cup history, and many began to doubt whether Argentina was up to the task. However it likely served as a wake up call for Messi and the team as they went on to convincingly defeat Mexico and Poland in the next group stage matches. Argentina won the group with 6 points and went on to the knockout round to face Australia.
Messi performed brilliantly against Australia dribbling around defenders and creating many opportunities. Ever since he left Barcelona and signed for PSG a couple years ago, his career has taken a sharp downturn. However after this match he had shown to the world that he was once again playing at the most elite of levels. The next quarterfinal match against Netherlands was very intense (as this rivalry often is) and I watched this one with my mom. Argentina was up 2-0, but lost the lead in the final few seconds of the game to send it into extra time. There was much hostility and scuffles between the Dutch and Argentinian players that led to 18 yellow cards. Argentina was just barely able to pull it off in a very stressful PK shootout. Messi displayed rare emotion against the Dutch team led by Louis Van Gaal and Virgil van Dyke. This victory demonstrated how badly he wanted to win this tournament.
After that very tight match against Netherlands, the next semi-final match against Croatia was a fairly easy one for Argentina. They won 3-0 with another masterful performance by Messi. The third goal was a thing of beauty where he dribbled right by Croatian defender Gvardiol to lay up an easy assist for Alvarez. With this victory Argentina was once again in the finals and Messi was eager not to come 2nd as they did in the 2014 Cup. However France was their nemesis and as the defending champion would be no easy match.
The quarterfinal match against Netherlands was exciting, however the final match against France was even more so. Argentina began the game with fiery intensity and pressure and scored two early goals before halftime. However in the 2nd half the French superstar Kylian Mbappe got going and scored two back-to-back goals in the 80th minute. From this point on France took the initiative and looked like they were going to steal this one from Argentina. The game however went to extra time and France continued to control the momentum of the game. However out of nowhere in the 108th minute Messi scored again to give Argentina the 3-2 lead. This was however once again balanced by Kylian Mbappe who put away his PK shot, to get a hat trick and tie the game. So a 3-3 the game went into the dreaded PK shootout. However Argentina no doubt had the better goalkeeper in Emiliano Martinez, well known for his mental tactics. Argentina scored all their PK shootouts, while Martinez was able to stop 2 of the French shots. And so Montiel had the glorious winning shot to secure Argentina's world cup victory.
The celebrations were a thing of beauty and one of those very rare sports moments where a champion can walk off into the sunset. Messi has been one of the greatest in the games for nearly 20 years now, however he has fallen short in his past 4 World Cups for Argentina. Always living under the shadow of the great Diego Maradona (the Argentinian hero who led the nation to it's 2nd cup in 1986). This championship was the final cherry on the cake necessary to cement Messi's legacy in world football, but more so his legacy in his own nation. He has once again brought a championship to Argentina where millions are now celebrating in the streets of Buenos Aires.
France comes up Short
As the defending champions at the 2018 Cup and also with the current best player in the world in Kylian Mbappe, France was once again looking like the favorites in this tournament. However they were missing some of their key stars from their previous title such as Paul Pogba, Ngolo Kante, Lucas Hernandez, and the great Karim Benzema due to injuries. However France still had great depth on their squad with the support of other superstar power such as Mbappe, Griezman, Giroud, and their captain goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. They got off to a good start in the group stage easily defeating Australia then a tight win against Denmark. They lost their 3rd match against Tunisia, however they had already qualified to the knockout round by this point.
France easily defeated Poland in the Round of 16, with another great performance by Mbappe scoring two more goals. His speed and explosiveness is truly such a thrill to watch. In their quarter final match is what not so easy however as they faced their European rivals of England. I watched this game with my dad at my house and quite frankly England were the better team. However poor Harry Kane missed the 2nd PK that could have tied the match. France went on to win 2-1 and move on to the semi-finals. Their semi-final match against the Cinderella of the tournament, Morocco was also no push-over but they were still able to secure the victory 2-0 and thus move on to the finals once again.
While Messi was able to win the day against France and receive the championship and golden ball award, one could make the case that Mbappe was also deserving of that MVP award. To get a hat-trick in a world cup final is a very rare achievement and was his crowning performance in an already masterful tournament. He did however win the Golden Boot award with his 7 goals (Messi had 6). At the age of 23 (and already a world cup in his collection) Mbappe is already on a path of greatest to rival Pele, Maradonna, and Messi. Despite this loss for France, I believe there future is still quite bright and can see them returning to the next cup as favorites once again.
The Fighting Croatians
Croatia is one of those surprisingly small nations that are very good at soccer. They finished 3rd place at the 1998 cup, and at the last World Cup, they shocked the world by making it to the finals led by their brilliant playmaker Luka Modric. They came up short 4-2 however still put on a good fight. At this tournament I don't think anyone really expected them to go too far. However they quietly did not lose a game in the group stage, having tied Morocco, defeated Canada, and tied Belgium. In the Round-of-16 they just barely survived against Japan by scoring a late goal to send the game into extra time then winning in PK shootouts.
However their biggest surprise victory came in the quarterfinal match against Brazil. This was a very gridlocked match, where Brazil had many opportunities but could not score and the game went into extra time. Then Neymar scored an incredible go-ahead goal in the 105th minute that seemed to seal the deal. Until out of nowhere Croatia scored on the counter attack with just a couple minutes left to send the game into a penalty shootout. Brazil performed poorly in the PK shootout and the fighting Croatians once again were in the semi-finals. Despite losing badly to Argentina, Croatia could hold it's head up high after defeating Morocco in the third place match.
The Moroccan Cinderellas
It seems every tournament has a good Cinderella story and this time that title belonged to Morocco. They became the first African team to ever make it to the semi-finals of the World Cup. But this was no fluke whatsoever and this is actually a very good team with a squad that mostly plays in Europe. They are led by their star defender Achraf Hakimi who plays for PSG and their winger Hakim Ziyech who plays for Chelsea. They surprisingly won their group with 7 points by defeating Belgium and Canada and drawing to Croatia. They then carried on with even more shocking upsets of Spain in the Round-of-16 and Portugal in the quarterfinals.
Although this team never really displayed attacking prowess or superstar playmaking they worked very well as a unit. They played defense very well, had a solid goalkeeper in Bounou, and simply capitalized on their opportunities. They came up short against France in the semi-final match, but still fought hard and nearly scored several times. They were then defeated by Croatia in the 3rd place match. However Morocco can truly be proud finishing 4th place and leading African soccer to new heights. I think this team can continue to cause a stir in world soccer, and it's so refreshing to see a nation outside Europe or South America succeed on the world stage.
Other Teams I enjoyed watching
Brazil: I really wanted to see a South American team lift the trophy again, and I felt Brazil was the favorite to do it. Led by so many superstars such as Neymar, Casemiro, Vinicius Jr, Allison, Marquinhos, Richarlsson, and so forth. They cruised out of the group stage with some very impressive goals, that demonstrated the iconic Brazilian Joga Bonito style. I think it's been a while since Brazil has looked so threatening, in control, and creative in their play. It reminded me of the Ronaldo/Ronaldinho/Roberto Carlos era, when this team could not be stopped. They had a very convincing round of 16 win against Korea scoring 4 goals.
They received some criticism for their dancing celebrations but I thought this was very cool to see and just demonstrates Latin passion for the game. However in the quarterfinals they were locked down by Croatia who meant business from the get-go. While Brazil had far more chances, Croatia controlled the game with possession and solid defense. Neymar finally broke through in extra time, with a brilliant individual goal where he dribbled by three defenders to blast it home. However ten minutes later Croatia scored on a counter-attack to send the game into a PK shootout. Having just defeated Japan in PKs, I think Croatia was the clear favorite at this point. Brazil simply succumbed to the pressure and lost it in the shootout. This was a very disappointing loss for Brazil, who I thought looked like the best team in the tournament.
England: Having finished 4th in the last World Cup, and 2nd in the 2020 Euros England was considered a favorite of this tournament. However England seems to have bad luck in these tournaments and despite their arsenal of talent they just can't get over that hump. They had a very convincing opening win against Iran 6-2, but then failed to show up against the fierce Americans that resulted in a 0-0 draw. They later defeated Wales in the group stage and had a solid performance against Senegal in the Round of 16. However it was their quarterfinal match against France that was most disheartening. For once England was the better team and put everything on the line, but just came up short time after time. Their captain Harry Kane was able to convert on one PK, but then sailed the 2nd one far over the crossbar. England was the better team against France but it was just not their day. The team still has a great roster of youthful players and should continue to compete for their long overdue 2nd title since 1966.
Netherlands: I always enjoy to watch the Dutch team, maybe it's because of their iconic orange jerseys. They're one of those countries that has had much success in the world cup but have still yet to win the big one. They did not qualify for the 2018 cup, but made a good appearance at this one. Led by their captain defender from Liverpool, Virgil van Dyke and experienced head coach of Louis van Gaal this got off to a great start. They defeated Senegal and Qatar and drew to Ecuador. In the Round of 16 they played the villain against the surging American team. Gapko scored threw goals in the group stage, while Memphis scored the opening goal against USA. After their 3-1 defeat of America, Netherlands got off to a slow start against Argentina. However they turned up the pressure later in the game and were able to equalize late on to send it to overtime. Argentina-Netherlands always seem to have a fierce rivalry and this was probably the most hostile of all games. Had it not been for the World Cup final it probably would have been the most exciting game. Nonetheless the Dutch came up short once again.
Portugal: I've loved the Portuguese team since about 2004 and the arrival of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. They always play quite well at these tournaments however this time around the top story was the benching of Ronaldo. He got his opening PK goal against Ghana to lead the team to a 3-2 victory, but then was overshadowed by other players such as Bruno Fernandes. Head coach Fernando Santos made the tough decision to bench Ronaldo in the Round of 16 match where Portugal destroyed Switzerland 6-1 (of which Ronaldo's replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick). It appeared Portugal was cruising without their iconic talisman leader. However in the quarterfinal match they were shockingly defeated by Morocco. Ronaldo came on in the 2nd half with a chance to have a heroic moment but it did not happen for him or his country. Portugal were eliminated and this brought an end to the great Ronaldo's World Cup dreams. Furthermore with Messi winning the title, the GOAT debate can probably come to an end, now favoring Messi over Ronaldo.
USA: I really think it's fair to say that after this tournament USA has arrived as a force to be reckoned with in international soccer. Despite failing to qualify for the 2018 cup the USA continuously seems to make it out of the group stage (recently in 2002, 2010, and 2014). They were able to make it to the quarterfinals in 2002, but haven't won a Round of 16 match since then. I think this team was the best American team I have ever witnessed with long periods of possession. Led by their captain Christian Pulisic who had his heroic moment by scoring the winning goal against Iran. In the Round of 16 match the USA had many chances, that they just weren't able to convert on. I think this team is still quite young and shows so much potential for the future.
Biggest Disappointments
Germany: Having won the World Cup 4 times, most recently in 2014 Germany always comes into this tournament as a favorite. However for the 2nd World Cup in a row this team has failed to make it out of the group stage. It certainly cannot be a question of talent as this team is still loaded with superstar quality many of which play together for Bayern Munich (Manuel Neuer, Muller, Gnabry, Kimmich, and Leroy Sane. And yet again however this team has failed to execute on the big stage, once again being defeated by Japan in the group stage. Their draw to Spain, and victory over Costa Rica was not enough to have them advance to the knockout round. Questions will surely be asked about why this European giant is not making it at least to the semi-finals.
Mexico: For the past seven cups now, Mexico has advanced to the knockout round (since 1994) yet failed to win the Round of 16 match. What has been known as the long desired "Quinto Partido" could not even be possible without advancing to a fourth match in the Round of 16. Mexico's iconic goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa kept them alive against Poland by saving a PK shot against Lewandowski to tie Poland. However this was a game they needed to win, having to later face the mighty Argentina. Their only victory came against Saudi Arabia in the 3rd game but this was too little too late and they lost the 4 point tiebreaker to Poland. They will surely hope to do better when they help host the tournament in 2026.
Uruguay: This is a another example of a small country with a great football history, having won the Cup twice now and almost always making it out of the group stage. This will most likely be the last cup for superstar strikers Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani. However they are led now by a rising young superstar who plays for Liverpool, Darwin Nunez. However just like Mexico, Uruguay tied it's opening match to Korea, when they needed the win. They then lost to Portugal, and a win against Ghana was not enough to advance them to the next round.
Belgium: It appears this so-called "Golden Generation" of Belgian football has come to a harsh close with their performance at this Cup. Having finished 3rd at the 2018 Cup and led by their superstar midfielder Kevin de Bruyne their were high expectations for Belgium. But despite an early victory against Canada, things just did not swing their way against Morocco or Croatia causing them to be eliminated from the group stage. With many of their star players over 30 now, it seems unlikely that this small nation will make a mark at the next tournament.
Top Five Goals
5. Richarlison's scissor kick goal against Serbia in the 73rd minute
4. Kylian Mbappe's world cup final volley goal in the 81st minute
3. Richarlson's juggling goal against Korea in the 29th minute
2. Neymar's breakthrough goal against Croatia in the 105th minute
1. Alvarez's goal against Croatia with incredible Messi assist in the 69th minute
Best 11 players
Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez (Argentina)
Defender: Nicolas Otamendi (Argentina)
Defender; Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)
Defender: Theo Hernandez (France)
Midfielder: Luka Modric (Croatia)
Midfielder: Antonie Griezman (France)
Midfielder: Bruno Fernandes (Portugal)
Forward: Juan Alvarez (Argentina)
Forward: Richarlsson (Brazil)
Forward: Messi (Argentina)
Forward: Mbappe (France)
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