The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has seen many firsts, and has been deemed to be the best football tournament that has ever taken place over the years. Whether it was the advanced implementation of technology or the introduction of female referees, here are 6 moments the World Cup 2022 Qatar will be remembered for.
1. What’s up, Asia?
The Asian countries’ commendable showing in last year’s World Cup was a huge talking point. Who would have imagined the major upsets some of our Asian teams hurled on World Cup giants? South Korea were one of those who produced upsets as they came from behind late in the game to beat 2016 European Champions Portugal 2-1 in the final group stage game. The remarkable victory enabled them to qualify for the knockout stages but not without the help of a spirited Ghana side which denied Uruguay a bigger goal-margin in the other game that was played concurrently.
Uruguay were too comfortable for the majority of the game while leading Ghana 2-0, only until they heard the news of the Korean comeback. They then needed to extend their lead by at least one goal to progress by goal difference. The Koreans though, had finished their game earlier than the Uruguayans and were being put through a tense five minutes or so, hoping that Uruguay would not extend their lead. They stayed on the pitch after the final whistle and huddled together to witness the remaining minutes of the Uruguay-Ghana game on their mobile devices. A rare sight indeed! And it was the South Koreans who celebrated the most when that game ended.
2. Significant milestones in officiating
FIFA made a big step forward in terms of officiating in last year’s World Cup. The huge debate of whether the ball went out of play or not in Japan’s build up to their goal against Spain was only settled thanks to the technology embarked by FIFA. With the Video Assistant Referee’s (VAR) second appearance in the World Cup, there was also the use of semi-automated offside technology which evidently reduced waiting time during close-called VAR reviews for tight offside situations, and was what awarded Lionel Messi’s Argentina their lead against France in extra-time of the Final.
Female referees taking up the big stage this World Cup and the increase in minutes of stoppage time at the end of the games were the other significant developments we had seen in terms of officiating. Spectators were taken to a pleasant surprise seeing the fourth official’s board at 90 minutes during the opening game between Qatar and Ecuador, which itself saw an added time of 10 minutes. That was the beginning of the trend for the rest of the tournament, and the amount of time added after regulation time was what granted many teams like Iran and Netherlands crucial goals.
3. Peculiar Statistics
Many who watched the games on their television sets would have noticed the frequent pop-ups of a particular never-seen-before statistic, and that is the number of receptions players had in between defence and midfield lines. It certainly became annoying after some time because nobody really knew what the statistic was supposed to interpret.
But as we are still wondering about the necessity of that statistic, the revised version of the possession statistic is one that has to be appreciated. There has been an additional component to it – ‘in contest’, which basically tells how much of the possession was in neither teams’ hands. Certainly a more accurate interpretation of the possession statistic.
4. Vincent Aboubakar’s classy red card
You probably would not have seen a more fashionable sending-off than Vincent’s one. In the previous game against Serbia, he came on as a substitute and pulled off a training ground finish, scoring a lobbed beauty which against all odds proved to be legitimate despite looking offside. He was to create another story in Cameroon’s final group game against the Selecao. After inspiring Cameroon to a surprise 1-0 lead with a thumping header which became the eventual winner against Brazil, the skipper, despite already being on a yellow, removed his jersey in celebration.
The striker then received his inevitable second yellow and a red card with a smile from USA Referee Ismail Elfath, who congratulated him with a handshake before asking him to leave the pitch. The whole stadium clapped for the captain when he was executing his marching orders and not a single Cameroonian complained about the red card. With that, Cameroon were also then the first African nation to beat Brazil.
5. Notable howlers
The Germany vs Japan group game clash treated fans to a few seconds of comedic antics performed by Antonio Rudiger while the Germans led 1-0 in the second half. In the 64th minute, Japan’s Takuma Asano was chasing down a loose ball in the final third when Rudiger put himself in between the ball and Asano to see the ball roll out for a goal kick. The defender was not merely fulfilling his defensive duties, but at the same time displayed a visual concoction of mockery and arrogance in the form of immense clownery. The Real Madrid player comically lifted his knees high up whilst running and shielding the ball away. Rudiger’s act was met with much hilarity but it was the Japanese who had the last laugh at the final whistle as Japan ultimately defeated the mighty Deutschland 2-1.
In Group H, Ghana’s Inaki Williams and Portugal’s goalkeeper Diogo Costa also shared an exchange of blunders when their two teams met. Inaki almost became a national hero when he sneakily tried to put his team back into the game when they were trailing behind in a 3-2 scoreline. In the dying moments of the game, Portuguese custodian Costa released the ball from his hands, unaware that Williams was lurking behind him. Upon Costa’s release, the Ghanaian cleverly ran from behind and past Costa to steal the ball ahead of the shot-stopper, only to unfortunately slip and hit the ground before he could even attempt a finish. This forced a scrambled clearance from Danilo Pereira and it was a huge relief for the Portugal side, especially Costa, as he almost gave away the game to the Black Stars with his own hands. Needless to say, it probably was the most wasted chance Ghana had in the entire game.
6. No Alcohol, not even Hennessy
We all knew of Qatar’s last-minute ban of alcohol and the mixed reactions it received from fans all over the world. So, by the end of Wales’ group stage game with Iran, we knew they were not kidding, especially when you have a player named Wayne Hennessey, sent-off. The Welshman’s name bears an uncanny resemblance when one enunciates the three syllables of an alcoholic beverage – Hennessy. The Wales’ number one was the first player to receive a red card in the tournament, and only the third ever goalkeeper to be sent off in a World Cup game.
With neither team in the driving seat, Hennessey rushed out of his penalty area during an Iran counter-attack in the 86th minute, and dangerously fouled Mehdi Taremi with a nasty collision which sent him for an early shower. Iran capitalised on the extra man and thereafter broke the deadlock and doubled their lead – both in stoppage time.
Plenty of talking points, memories and bizarre occurrences this World Cup. Which of these is your favourite World Cup 2022 moment?
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