The world cup ended with Argentina crowned as the world champions defeating France in a nail-biting finisher. It wasn’t just the finals that made our hearts weaker and gave us anxiety. Here are the top 8 moments that made the Football extravaganza absolutely EPIC in every way:
- Saudi Arabia shocks the eventual World Champions:
In what became one of the biggest upsets at the World Cups, minnows Saudi Arabia defeated Messi led Argentina 2-1. Argentina was safely ahead of their competitors 1-0 at halftime but was left languishing due to stunning goals by Alshehri and Aldawsari.
- South Korea’s magical show vs Portugal:
In what became a truly exceptional show by South Korea, the team led by Son Heung-min shed happy tears on the field after making it to R-16 after a gap of 12 years. The win meant Uruguay, a football behemoth in its own way, was left with its world cup dream shattered.
- Karma for Suarez:
Who could forget the infamous ball handling by Uruguay’s Luis Suarez in the 2010 World Cup against Ghana and the missed penalty by Ghana? But luck favored the other side as Suarez met Ghana again in 2022. Though Uruguay won 2-0, they couldn’t progress to R-16 due to South Korea’s win over Portugal. Karma you say?
- From deadpan to thriller:
The Quarterfinals between Croatia and Brazil couldn’t have changed its pace at an opportune time. With teams already going into the extra time, the possibility of a goal looked bleak. Neymar’s goal in the 107th minute changed the game and it seemed almost certain of a Brazilian victory. But as luck would have it, Petkovic’s last-minute equalizer not only forced a penalty shoot-out but also displaced Brazil from its certain Semi-Finals berth.
- Harry Kane to Harry couldn’t:
Harry Kane, the prolific talisman from England is known for his striking abilities. In the Quarterfinals against France, all he was expected to do was to keep his calm and score the penalty shot in the 83rd minute to give themselves a chance to change the match equation. As luck would have it, he came, he missed and he was left gutted. France went to the Finals of the World cup while Harry couldn’t.
- A warm bench for Red-hot Ronaldo:
It is rarely seen that a star player and captain of a team is benched by the coach. Coach Fernando Santos’ decision to bench Ronaldo might have played well since his substitute Ramos scored a hattrick in their 6-1 win against Switzerland but they surely ran out of luck as a benched Ronaldo could not save his team from a loss against the giant killer’s Morocco in the Quarter Finals. With this Ronaldo left the field in tears, all alone.
- Legends in their swansong:
The 2022 World Cup set the stage for what could be the final time we saw a gamut of legends playing their hearts out for world championships. The list is led by talismanic Lionel Messi and magnificent Christiano Ronaldo. With Messi announcing his international retirement, it is all but certain that we have seen the last of Ronaldo as a Seleccao. Pepe, Luka Modric, Dani Alves, Ivan Perisic, Hugo Lloris, and Olivier Giroud among many more have shouldered their teams in numerous world cups and would surely be missed as their respective teams would like to transition going into the 2026 World Cup.
- 18-12-2022: THE FINALS
It could not have been more thrilling than what transpired at the World Cup Final. Every dribble, every tackle, every shot oozed excellence and which made the game one of the ever most-watched events. The game see-sawed with our hearts pounding every time the ball came near the nets. The brilliance of every player made the 3-3 score worth watching. 18-12-2022 saw the end of the Messian era and also the rise of the Mbappian era in world football.
