It’s going down to the wire at the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar. All the 32 nations participating in the quadrennial championship have played two preliminary round games in their quest for World Cup glory – only three teams, namely, defending champions France, tournament’s favourites Brazil and Portugal have so far booked their passage into the next round of the competition.
We have amusingly watched how teams such as football powerhouse Argentina, Germany, Asian giants Iran, and African representatives Morocco, Ghana, Senegal, and Cameroon dramatically clawed back into contention after posting abysmal results in their opening matches.
Without a doubt, the Mundial in Qatar is living up to expectations as the world’s biggest sports showpiece. There’s everything in this World Cup. Thrilling matches, great goals, scintillating performances, upsets, shocks, drama, and suspense. So much to savour. For all the lovers of global sport, this is what we really signed up for. This is why we love football. And this is why we call it a beautiful game.
Teams make mistakes in tournaments and the good thing about the group stage is that it provides teams that slipped in earlier fixtures an opportunity to make amends in subsequent matches.
The Lionel Messi-led Albicelestes revived their hopes of qualification to the Round of 16 after tilting at the edges of an ignominious exit from the competition they are widely tipped as co-favourites to win. Following their shocking 2-1 defeat in the hands of enterprising Saudi Arabia, the Argentines shrugged off Mexican opposition, winning 2-0 which rekindled their chances, setting up a mouthwatering Group C clash with Poland for a knockout round ticket on Wednesday.
Talking about reviving World Cup hopes, four times champions Germany can breathe a sigh of relief after pulling a 1-1 draw with Spain in a gripping, chess-like contest on Saturday to banish the horrific opening game defeat against unfancied Japan. The Teutonic Warriors will still require a win and maximum points against Costa Rica on Thursday to ensure qualification to the next round.
After receiving a 6-2 walloping in their first match against the Three Lions of England, a rejuvenated Iran recorded their second-ever World Cup win against Wales to enliven the situation in Group B. The Iranians are now looking forward to their tasty duel with arch-foes the United States in their final group match on Tuesday.
African champions Senegal pulled away from the brink in an unflinching display of courage and never-say-die spirit. The Sadio Mane-less Teranga Lions devoured the host country Qatar after falling to the Netherlands in their opening game.
Results, as the saying goes, keep teams in a tournament, so it applies to the Atlas Lions of Morocco, who ground an impressive 2-0 victory over the highly-rated Belgium in one of the World Cup’s biggest upsets. The result catapulted the North Africans to the top of their group ahead of the final rounds of matches.
Incidentally, the biggest comeback stories of this World Cup were provided on Monday by the Black Stars of Ghana and the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon.
In what soccer analysts described as “Manic Monday”, Cameroon who were 1-0 losers against Switzerland in their Group G opener, fought from 3-1 down to draw with Serbia in a six-fold thriller. And hot on the heels of the Cameroon/Serbia threat, Ghana went one better than their African rivals by beating South Korea 3-2 in a breathtaking Group H encounter.
So it’s now heading to the last round of games which will definitely be decisive and will likely throw up a couple of thrillers.
