World Cup
World Cup 2022: The tournament so far
Only two games remain at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, with either France or Argentina set to be crowned winners on Sunday afternoon.
We take a look back at the main stories in the tournament so far, and have a look at who is most likely to achieve World Cup glory.
Drama in the Group Stages
The opening two days of the World Cup Group Stages saw some expected results, with hosts Qatar losing comfortably to an impressive Ecuador side alongside good wins for England and the Netherlands, whilst Wales picked up a commendable draw against the USA in their first World Cup fixture for 64 years.
It was on the Tuesday, three days into the tournament, where we witnessed the first (and arguably biggest) shock of the competition. Saudi Arabia, 1-0 down at half-time to a purring Argentina side, shocked the two-time winners with two goals in a brilliant five-minute spell in the second half to leave Lionel Messi and co. staring down the barrel of a potential early exit.
That result served as a catalyst for more upsets in the first fortnight of the tournament. The very next day, Japan stunned Germany with a brilliant second-half display, while Morocco dismissed second-seeded Belgium on the Sunday. The North African and Asian teams in particular seemed to be flourishing in the more familiar conditions compared to the European nations.
The second week of the competition saw four-time winners Germany knocked out in scarcely believable scenes, with Japan pulling off another huge upset against Spain to qualify first in Group E. Each evening seemed to throw up more drama, with Uruguay falling victim to a late South Korea strike that turned a comfortable 2-0 lead against Ghana into a frantic scramble for one more goal.
England’s performance
Such is the unforgiving nature of England supporters that you’d have thought Gareth Southgate’s side had been knocked out of the competition when they laboured to a disappointing 0-0 draw against the USA in their second group game. The reality, though, is that no nation throughout the tournament managed to win all three of their group fixtures, with England’s 7 points and +7 GD making them statistically the best side in the competition.
Their 6-2 victory versus Iran looks even better after the Middle Eastern side went on to only concede one more goal in their remaining two group fixtures, with the Three Lions also recording three clean sheets in succession – the most out of any team in the competition.
They had to work hard in the first half of their 3-0 round-of-16 victory against Senegal, but displayed sufficient professionalism and patience, alongside some cutting-edge finishing, to progress past the AFCON champions with relative ease.
A quarter-final date with current champions France was billed as a make or break moment for this England team, and for large parts of the match, they went toe-to-toe with the reigning world champions. In fact, Gareth Southgate’s side looked by far the most likely winners in the second half, before Olivier Giroud struck.
Some contentious refereeing decisions were thought to have hindered England – including a decision not to award Harry Kane a penalty when fouled in the box in the first half, and a potential foul on Bukayo Saka that lead to a breakaway for France’s second goal. However, England still had their chances and when Harry Kane of all people blazed his penalty over the bar, squandering the chance to draw England level, it wasn’t set to be England’s day.
With Brazil and Spain already out of the competition at the quarter final stage, this will no doubt be viewed as a missed opportunity for this exciting England squad. However, they still have a young squad, full of talent – not least in attack with Saka, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden – meaning the best could be yet to come.
Morocco surprise everyone
It’s fair to say that this World Cup has been full of surprises, but none more so than Morocco. The North African nation came into this tournament just hoping to make it through what looked like a tough group containing Croatia, Belgium and Canada.
They ended up topping the group – going unbeaten and producing impressive wins against Belgium and Canada. The Atlas Lions had arrived!
Not only resolute at the back, throughout this tournament they showed a skilful side, that saw them at times slice through opposition defences. With established players like Hakim Ziyech whipping balls into the box and forward Youssef En-Nesyri a danger in the box, it’s perhaps no surprise that they did better than expected.
What set the Atlas Lions apart though was the spirit of their performances – their never-say-die attitude was clearly in evidence against Spain and Portugal in the knockout stages. This was the case right across the team and some of their players are sure to be on the radar of top European sides this winter. Azzedine Ounahi is perhaps the name on everyone’s lips after his sparkling performances throughout the tournament, and he surely won’t remain at French side Angiers too much longer.
While Morocco came up just a bit short against France in the semi-finals, they still played with the heart and passion that we have come to expect, and they still set a record for an African nation at the World Cup and can leave Qatar with their heads held high.
They could still claim a bronze medal too if they can get the better of Croatia in the third-place playoff on Saturday. They are currently the narrow underdogs at 2/1 with Croatia an 11/8 chance.
Goal of the tournament
There have been many contenders for goal of the tournament, from Luis Chavez’s rocket for Mexico against Saudi Arabia to the Netherland’s brilliantly worked free-kick in the dying moments of their quarter final with Argentina. However, Richarlison’s bicycle-kick second goal against Serbia in the group stages gets the vote as the best strike so far.
The Brazilian had already pounced upon a rebound to slot his side ahead midway through the second half, but what followed was a bit special. Vinicius Jr. darted in from the left, poking a ball through to Richarlison, who stood on the penalty spot. The Tottenham man took one touch – flicking the ball up to head height – before swivelling into an acrobatic bicycle-kick, connecting perfectly with the ball which arrowed into the bottom corner. It was simply a stunning finish.
Game of the tournament
Argentina’s epic quarter final against the Netherlands stands out as a game that had it all. There were passages of brilliant free-flowing football, notably when Lionel Messi wriggled free of the Dutch midfield and slid a perfect ball through for Nahuel Molina to score the opener. There were cagey moments, when substitute Wout Weghorst scored the Netherland’s first goal to make the score 2-1 on the 83 minute. And there were moments of madness, leading to a record 18 yellow cards being awarded in the game.
The Netherland’s brilliantly worked free kick in the final seconds, which was converted by Weghorst to take the tie to extra-time was perhaps the moment of the tournament so far. It wasn’t to be for the Dutch in the shootout, but they certainly played their part in the game of the tournament.
Final too close to call
There’s virtually nothing to choose between France and Argentina in the market ahead of Sunday’s final.
The Argentines, chasing their first World Cup since Diego Maradona inspired them to victory in 1986, come in as the very marginal 17/10 favourites.
Of course, they have a different genius to guide them this time in Lionel Messi, who is tied with France’s Kylian Mbappe on five goals in the race for the Golden Boot. However, the Argentine maestro is 8/15 to get the better of his PSG teammate, with the Frenchman priced at 7/4. Messi is also just 1/6 to be crowned top player of the tournament and win the Golden Ball.
Holders France are bidding to become the first consecutive winners of the trophy since Brazil in 1958 and 1962. That would be some feat, especially considering they are missing some of their main stars, including Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba. They have proved this tournament that they are tough to beat even when they aren’t playing well and are a danger to anyone on the break, with lightning speed down both flanks.
Didier Deschamps’ side are 9/5 to come out on top on Sunday – just 0.1 of a point bigger than their rivals, proving how closely balanced this tie is. This is not one to miss!
