The World Cup has been on screens all over the world for the last 6 weeks, as supporters watch to find out whether their team is going to make it to the final. There has been no shortage of surprises in this World Cup, from teams that we never thought would make it out of the group stages getting to the semi-finals, and teams that have a low FIFA rating, defeating teams that are favourites to win the tournament! But it’s not just the scores making headlines, player drama, penalties that should never have been, and confusing goal-line technology that all make up the most exciting parts of the tournament so far. We’ll take a look at some of the biggest news stories from the 2022 Qatar World Cup below.
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Saudia Arabia beats Argentina
Going into the world cup, fans would never have expected that a team like Saudi Arabia, which is currently placed 51st in the FIFA rankings, would beat a team like Argentina, a team that plays to such a high calibre, have some incredible players and skills under their belts. In comparison, Argentina is currently 3rd in the FIFA rankings. The game was already said to be off to a bad start as Messi was awarded a penalty only 10 minutes after the game had kicked off, but little did we know what was to come. In the second half, Saudi Arabia’s striker Al-Shehri, and Salen Al-Dawsari both scored goals in quick succession, leaving the Argentinians stunned. This shaped up to be one of the most important, and historic matches of the Tournament, and truly goes to show that no one really knows what’s going to happen!
Japan’s ball line controversy
This is another controversial and historic match. Japan were the underdogs of the competition, with no one expecting them to get very far in terms of points. However, after beating Germany 2-1 in the group stage after coming back from an early Gundogan penalty, knocking them out of the competition, the Japanese team stormed towards a game with Spain. Coming in high from their achievements, many of us might have been sceptical about what the Japanese team could achieve – they’d done well so far, but Spain would surely be their stumbling block.
Like Germany, an early goal in Spain’s favour had fans on the edge of their seats, only for Japan to score two goals in the second half within minutes of each other. But the second goal caused issues. The ball looked to go out of play before the goal was scored, and no one could decide whether the goal was to stand. Eventually, VAR ruled that it was a goal, for Japan to go on to win the match – but many all over the world were left stumped when shown the photos of the ball!
Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench
To say there’s been a lot of controversy around Cristiano Ronaldo in the press lately is an understatement, and even coming into the World Cup, the opinions and stories continue to fly. With talk of Ronaldo signing for another team after his explosive Piers Morgan interview, all eyes were on him as the teams were released for his home team of Portugal’s World Cup matches. In their most recent games, Ronaldo started on the bench – leading to questions about whether Portugal’s manager Fernando Santos had tension with the star, or he simply preferred the way they played without him. After a 1-0 defeat from Morocco, Portugal crashed out of the World Cup, but fans will be wondering what’s next for the star.
