The 10 major impacts of the Qatar 2022 World Cup: bumps, failures, validity and confirmations

There is no World Cup without surprises. Because football is football, or at least because the World Cup has them kill kill that go against all odds. Many favorites fall, several selections that no one had in mind go down in history. The same happens with footballers: there are disappointments and surprising names. Thus, the last week puts the lack of some illustrious absentees first and gives flight to those who have managed to support their right to dream. But for all this to happen, there were strong impacts in the previous days.

1) Saudi Arabia strikes the first big blow

On the fourth day, the exotic Qatar World Cup made it clear that anything could happen. Messi’s team also lost on their debut against Saudi Arabia. And it happened despite the fact that Lionel himself made his debut as a scorer after 10 minutes. But Argentina never found a way around an even surprising proposition: the defensive save 40 meters from goal. Everything went wrong for Scaloni’s team, remembering what happened at Italia 90 against Cameroon. The ghost of elimination in the first round has taken the force of a tsunami that has just begun to fade with the 2-0 against Mexico. Asia dealt a major blow to the World Cup standings which would later be endorsed by Japan and South Korea, qualifying for the round of 16.

2) Germany, still out in the first round

Football at the World Cup has ceased to be the great phrase of Gary Lineker: a “sports that the British invented, they play 11 against 11 and Germany always wins”. Hansi Flick’s team has doubled the curse of the world champions who, after having consecrated themselves, did not pass the first round. They have done so twice in a row, following their 2014 title. In Group E they started with a 2-1 loss to Japan, then a 1-1 draw against Spain and a 4-2 defeat of Costa Rica in the last fixture it didn’t help. He was third on goal difference and said goodbye very quickly. The level of Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller has left many doubts in a squad that has shown the interesting presence of Jamal Musiala, 19, but which has not renewed enough.

3) A reloaded Mbappé who does everything

He was the best young player of the 2018 World Cup and arrived in Qatar determined to fight for the biggest prize, not only to be two-time champions with France, but also to aim for the individual throne. In Russia he had scored 4 goals, here he already has 5. That’s 9 in 12 World Cup games. To understand: Messi adds 10 but in 24 games. Kylian Mbappé was lethal against Poland in the round of 16 (two goals in the 3-1 draw) and did not appear against England in the quarterfinals (2-1), but his speed and ability to convert make him the differential weapon of the World Champion. It will be a one-on-one final with Messi deciding who is the big character of the World Cup.

4) Spain, from scoring seven goals to not finding the goal

He was accepted as a candidate very quickly and graduated with greater speed than a huge failure. A 7-0 defeat by Costa Rica early on made Luis Enrique’s team the favourites, but the foam began to abate with a draw against Germany and a defeat against Japan. In the round of 16 everything melted away when they were eliminated on penalties by Morocco. The hope suggested by the young Gavi and Pedri could not take off. A lot of ball possession, few shots on goal and great controversy in Spain on the style of play and the decisions of the coach, who was fired.

5) Messi, in imperial mode

He arrived at the World Cup with several records to break and one more important goal: to make it his World Cup. Ten minutes into his debut he had already scored his first goal, a penalty, but Saudi Arabia turned the tables. Messi’s real World Cup has begun against Mexico. The best of the five she has and possibly the last. A great goal to open a key match against Tata Martino’s men, then he missed a penalty against Poland but was already in Messi mode. He followed up with goals against Australia and the Netherlands and brilliant performances. as bonus tracks Maradona, the “what are you looking at, stupid?”, which will also remain in history.

6) In Brazil the carnival is over

In the 4-1 against South Korea, for the round of 16, the best Brazil showed up and many have already put the crown on him in advance. That day was a carnival, with Neymar, Lucas Paquetá, Raphinha, Richarlison and Vinicius in attack. It didn’t last long. One of the most impressive definitions of this World Cup was seen in the quarterfinals, the extra match against Croatia. In the 106th minute Neymar scores the best goal of the World Cup, at least up to that moment, but ten minutes later Petkovic equalises. On penalties the catastrophe: wrong Rodrygo and Marquinhos. And Brazil were fired again in the quarter-finals, for the second time in a row and for the fourth time since they were champions in 2002, their last title. In 2014, being local, he finished fourth. Twenty years without being a champion and a sadness that has no end.

7) Croatia, still in the top four

No one took her into consideration despite her great performance in Russia 2018, where he finished second. In silence, with Luka Modric at the height of his sanity and an experienced and convinced team, Croatia eliminated Japan and Brazil, both on penalties. It is the next hurdle for the Argentina national team. Since he appeared in 1998, with a third place, he only missed out on in 2010. He had poor performances in 2002, 2006 and 2014, but was in the top four in the last two World Cups. Discarding it is always a mistake.

8) Morocco put Africa in history

The big surprise of a World Championship full of big surprises. The first African to reach the semifinals in 22 World Cups. More than historic. With the particularity that its coach, Walid Regragui, took over three months before the competition and that in Russia 2018 the team finished 27th out of 32.

Morocco won their group and then knocked out Spain and Portugal. They have scored just one goal in five matches and show an admirable collective performance and conviction. His figures are goalkeeper Bono, winger Hakimi and midfielders Ziyech, Amrabat and Boufal.

9) Cristiano Ronaldo’s tears

He arrived in Qatar ready for his fifth World Cup, at 37, to be his own. He started with a penalty, the only one he converted and which allowed him to become the only player to score in five World Cups, against Ghana in a 3-2 draw and started the other two games. But in the round of 16 coach Fernando Santos sent him to the bench and his substitute, Goncalo Ramos, scored three goals (went 6-1 to Switzerland). Cameras reflected his displeasure and there were rumors of fights and even a possible conflicted departure from campus. Against Morocco, in the quarterfinals, he also started from the bench but played from the fifth minute of the second half. He couldn’t avoid elimination after a 1-0 draw. He left crying and after 22 games and 8 goals at the World Cup he couldn’t match Eusebio’s score, which has been 9 since 1966.

10) England, broken promise

The Premier League, the best league in the world, was the one that offered the most players to this World Cup. To this we must add that the team led by Gareth Southgate was full of great players. It all ends with the same thing: England’s eternal promise that never comes true. The closest the 1966 world champion got was fourth place in 2018. They only lost one game, in the quarterfinals, against France. What could be lost, but what was not to be lost. And what he didn’t deserve. As if to believe the curses, Harry Kane (from a very good tournament) deflected a penalty that would have taken the big match to extra time.

Doha, Qatar. Special delivery.