Famous Football

Lionel Messi starred for Argentina in his last FIFA World Cup match as La Albiceleste ended their 36-year wait for the elusive trophy. In what can arguably be termed as one of the best finals of all-time, Argentina enjoyed a two-goal lead till the 80th minute courtesy of Lionel Messi converting a spot-kick in the 23rd minute and Angel Di Maria's brilliant strike in the 36th minute. However, a quick-fire brace from Kylian Mbappe brought the defending champions back in the game to take it to extra-time. Messi scored his second of the night to restore Argentina's lead, but his Paris Saint-Germain teammate went on to complete his hat-trick to bring Didier Deschamps' side level again; and becoming the first player since 1966 to score a hat-trick in a World Cup Final. In the penalty shootout, Lionel Messi along with Paula Dybala, Leandro Parades, and Gonzalo Montiel scored from the spot to secure the ultimate prize in Qatar 2022. While Mbappe & Randal Kolo Muani got scored, Kingsley Coman had his shot saved and Aurelien Tchouameni fired wide; thus handing the coveted trophy to the South American giants.

Croatia matched their feat from 1998 by bagging a podium finish in Qatar 2022. Zlatko Dalic's side overcame Morocco 2-1 at the Khalifa International Stadium. The third-place play-off clash began on a fiery note with both sides cancelling each other out with quick-fire set-piece goals. Josko Gvardiol gave Croatia the lead in the 7th minute & Achraf Dari equalised in the ninth. Croatia reclaimed the lead just before half-time, through Mislav Orsic's sensational curler; that went in off the upright. And that proved enough to ensure Morocco would have to settle for fourth place.

France became the first team since 1998 to stand a chance of defending their FIFA World Cup crown with a 2-0 win over Morocco. Theo Hernandez fired Les Bleus ahead in the 5th minute with an acrobatic strike. This was the first time an opposition player scored against the North Africans in Qatar 2022. The Moroccan attack tested Hugo Lloris but were unlucky to not be level. Meanwhile, Olivier Giroud could not convert two opportunities to seal the result in favour of Didier Deschamps' side. Substitute Randal Kolo Muani scored the second of the night for the defending champions with his first touch of the ball in the 79th minute. With his first international goal, the Eintracht Frankfurt booked the dream date with Argentina & end Morocco's dream run at the Worlds Greatest Show.

Argentina booked their place in the Final with a 3-0 win over Croatia at the Lusail Stadium. Quickfire first-half goals by Lionel Messi, from the penalty spot & then from Julian Alvarez, following a darting run from his own half, put the Albiceleste in control of the contest. The pair were at it in the second half again with Messi, after a darting run, setting up an easy tap-in for Alvarez; thus confirming a sixth FIFA World Cup Final appearance for the Albiceleste. Lionel Scaloni's side will face defending champions France or surprise package Morocco in the summit clash on Sunday - Dec 18.

Pulling off yet another upset, Morocco ended Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal's run at Qatar 2022 by the barest of margins. Coming into this high-octane quarter-final clash after defeating Spain in the Round of 16, the North African nation looked to create history. And they did, courtesy of Youssef En-Nesyri's 42nd-minute strike. Fernando Santos' men came close to finding an equaliser several times, but Moroccan goalkeeper Bono starred for his team once again. With this historic win, Morocco became the first African team to reach the semi-finals of FIFA World Cup.

Holders France booked their place in the semi-finals after beating England 2-1 at the Al Bayt Stadium. The defending champions struck first through Aurelien Tchouameni, who fired in a belter from 25 yards out. England upped the ante in the second half and Harry Kane equalised from the spot after Bukayo Saka was hauled down by France's goalscorer. Didier Deschamps' side upped the pressure & reclaimed the lead through Olivier Giroud in the 78th minute. That joy was going to be short-lived as England were awarded another penalty; only for Kane to sky his effort this time.

Lionel Messi-led Argentina became the second team to book a semi-final spot in Qatar 2022 after securing a win over the Netherlands with a 4-3 win on penalties. Nahuel Molina provided the breakthrough for the Albiceleste in the 35th minute, finishing off a beautiful Messi assist. The Little Magician then converted a penalty in the 73rd minute after Denzel Dumpries' mistimed challenge, that almost sealed the fate for Lionel Scaloni's men. However, super sub Wout Weghorst's late brace kept Dutch hopes alive and took the match to extra-time. With both teams squared at 2-2 at the end of 120 minutes, Emiliano Martinez outshined for the South Americans, denying Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis. Even though Teun Koopmeiners, Wout Weghorst and Luuk de Jong found the back of the net, the Netherlands were knocked out of this FIFA World Cup. Lionel Messi, Leandro Parades, Gonzalo Montiel, and Lautaro Martinez converted their spot-kicks to set up a semi-final date with Croatia.

Adding another shocker to the list of upsets in Qatar 2022, Croatia sent five-time champions Brazil packing on penalties to march into their second successive FIFA World Cup semi-finals. Dominik Livakovic starred for Zlatko Dalic's side by braving the Brazilian attack for large parts of 120 minutes. Neymar broke the deadlock after dancing past the Croatian defence around the 105th minute mark, only to have his goal cancelled out by Bruno Petkovic's deflected strike in the 117th minute. The match headed towards penalties wherein Nikola Vlasic, Lovro Majer, Luka Modric, and Mislav Orsic converted their spot-kicks. Despite Casemiro and Pedro getting the better off Livakovic, the Croatian custodian denied Rodrygo from scoring and Marquinhos hit the woodwork, thus eliminating Brazil.

The Moroccan dream at Qatar 2022 continued after defeating Spain on penalties. Morocco and Spain came into the match backed by a dominant display in the group stage. Both teams knocked on the doors of their opponent’s goal several times. But the deadlock could not be broken in 120 minutes of action. Substitute Pablo Sarabia came closest to finding the back of the net in the dying minutes of extra-time. Courtesy of Yassine Bounou's saves off Carlos Soler & Sergio Busquets' spot kicks plus Pablo Sarabia hitting the woodwork; along with Abdelhamid Sabiri, Hakim Ziyech, & Achraf Hakimi’s successful conversions, Morocco advanced into the quarter-finals of a FIFA World Cup for the first time.

No Cristiano Ronaldo, no problem as Portugal crushed Switzerland 6-1 to reach the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2006. Goncalo Ramos was the star performer in PORSUI as he netted a sensational hat-trick; the first of Qatar 2022. Pepe & Raphael Guerreiro also got their names on the scoresheet in between the Benfica striker's goals. Substitute Rafael Leao added the cherry on top of the icing with a sublime finish in injury time. Manuel Akanji bagged the consolation for Switzerland.

Brazil stormed into the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup for a record 17th time after beating South Korea 4-1 at Stadium 974. The five-time champions stormed to a four-goal lead in the first half through goals from Vinicius Jr, Neymar, Richarlison & Lucas Paqueta. Tite's side took the foot off the gas in the second half to see out the match. Paik Seung-ho pulled one back for the Asian side with a long-range effort and that was to be the only goal in the final 45 minutes. Brazil will now face Croatia in the quarter-final on Dec 9, 8:30 pm.

Japan's dream run came to an end after being beaten by Croatia on penalties. The Samurai Blues came into the clash having stunned Germany and Spain in the group stage. And they looked set to pull off another upset when Daizen Maeda lashed home on the cusp of half-time. Ivan Perisic brought Croatia level just 10 minutes after the restart with a thumping header. Despite the best attempts from both sides, the winning goal wouldn't arrive courtesy of strong saves by both sets of goalkeepers. And after 120 minutes of action, Zlatko Dalic's side managed to emerge triumphant as Dominik Livakovic saved Takumi Minamino, Kaoru Mitoma & Maya Yoshida's spot kicks while Nikola Vlasic, Marcelo Brozovic & Mario Pasalic converted theirs.

England booked their place in the last-eight with a comfortable 3-0 win over Senegal. After a slow start to the contest, the Three Lions established a two-goal cushion late in the final eight minutes of the opening half through goals from Jordan Henderson & Harry Kane. Bukayo Saka made it 3-0 before the hour mark and that was enough for Gareth Southgate’s side to book a meeting with defending champions France in the quarter-final on Dec 11 - 12:30 am. Watch the highlights of the first-ever meeting between these two nations & tell us which goal was your favourite among the three.

Defending champions France stormed into the quarter-finals in Qatar 2022 with a dominant display against Poland. Kylian Mbappe starred for Didier Deschamps' side to start off with an assist & a brilliant second-half brace. Despite missing an open goal at the back post, Olivier Giroud put France in front in the 44th minute. With this goal, he became the record-goalscorer for Les Bleus. Twin strikes by Mbappe in the second half put the result beyond any doubt. Keeping up with the spirit of being the Worlds Greatest Show, late drama ensured that Poland were awarded a penalty which Robert Lewandowski converted with ease to bag a consolation.

Argentina booked their place in the last eight for the 10th time in FIFA World Cup history, edging Australia 2-1 at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. Lionel Messi, who hadn't scored in the knockout stages of the competition, opened the scoring in the 35th minute. Julian Alvarez doubled the lead for Lionel Scaloni's side after making the most of an error by Socceroos goalkeeper Mathew Ryan. Australia pulled one back through an unfortunate own goal by Enzo Fernandez. But Argentina held their nerve to make it through.

Netherlands secured their place in the last-eight for the 7th time in FIFA World Cup history after beating USA 3-1. First-half goals from Memphis Depay & Daley Blind put the Dutch in command. And even though Haji Wright pulled one back for #USA in an unorthodox manner, Denzel Dumfries sealed the result with a well-placed finish in the 81st minute. Enjoy the highlights and tell us your favourite moment from the first round of 16 clash.

For the third FIFA World Cup edition running, Switzerland made it through to the knockout stages and did so by beating Serbia in a five-goal thriller. Murat Yakin's side led through Xherdan Shaqiri but were pegged back by Aleksandar Mitrovic & Dusan Vlahovic. Breel Embolo made sure the Swiss would head into the break at level terms and soon after the restart, Remo Freuler fired home the winning goal in the 48th minute. Switzerland finished second in Group G with six points & will now face Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the pre-quarterfinals.

Cameroon bowed out of Qatar 2022 by becoming the first African nation to beat Brazil in a FIFA World Cup match. With qualification already secure, Tite opted to make nine changes to his side. And despite being the dominant force throughout the contest, the five-time champions failed to make the most of their chances. Cameroon made the most of all those missed chances & Vincent Aboubakar headed home the only goal of the match in injury time. Brazil managed to finish first place in Group G courtesy of superior goal difference & will now face South Korea in the Round of 16 clash on Dec 6, 12:30 am.

Placed third in Group H coming into this clash, South Korea needed to grab all three points against already-qualified Portugal and hope the result of GHAURU would be in their favour. Ricardo Horta broke the deadlock in the opening five minutes but Kim Young-gwon helped the Asian side draw level in the 27th minute. Paulo Bento's side kept pushing for the winner and were finally rewarded in injury time when Hwang Hee-Chan rifled home to send South Korea to the knockout stages for the first time since 2010.

Uruguay beat Ghana but failed to qualify for the Round of 16 as the other result in Group H didn't go in their favour. Both nations faced each other for the first time since the infamous quarter-final incident from 2010 involving Luis Suarez. And the former Liverpool star was at the front of all things good this time around, playing his part in both goals scored by Giorgian de Arrascaeta in the first-half. However, Ghana kept it tight in the second half & ensured Uruguay don't score more, which would ultimately result in their elimination in the group stage.

After pulling off an incredible upset against Germany in their opening fixture, Japan pulled off another heist against a European giant by defeating Spain 2-1. With this comeback victory, Japan topped Group E, and sealed their place in Qatar 2022 - Round of 16. Luis Enrique’s side were unbeaten in the opening two matches. They opened the scoring in the 11th minute with Alvaro Morata netting his third goal of the campaign. However, two quickfire strikes from Ritsu Doan and Ao Tanaka within three minutes of each other in the second half put the Blue Samurais in the driving seat. La Furia Roja's search for an elusive equaliser ended in vain, however, they finished second in Group E courtesy of Germany's 4-2 win over Costa Rica, thus qualifying for the knockouts.

For the 2nd FIFA World Cup edition running, Germany have been knocked out in the group stage. The four-time world champions needed to win & also needed Spain to do them a favour by beating Japan. Serge Gnabry put the Germans ahead in the 10th minute but Yeltsin Tejeda & Juan Pablo Vargas turned it around in the second half to revive Costa Rican hopes of a surprise qualification. Germany were now left needing a massive result owing to Japan's turnaround in the other game. They went on to reclaim the lead through Kai Havertz's brace. Niclas Fullkrug got in on the act to make it 4-2 but that left Hansi Flick's side short by five goals, sending both sides out of the competition.

Croatia & Belgium locked horns in their last clash to decide who proceeds to the Round of 16 from Group F. The 2018 FIFA World Cup runners-up could afford a draw while the Red Devils needed to win in order to progress. Both sides came dangerously close to breaking the deadlock on several occasions. Substitute Romelu Lukaku had some incredible chances to break the deadlock but he struggled to make the most of it & the match ended goalless. This meant that Zlatko Dalic's side marched into the knockouts & Belgium bowed out in the group stage of FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1998.

While the match bore no significance for Canada, Morocco required a point from the match to go through to the next round and as it happened, two quickfire goals from Ziyech and En-Nesyri gave Morocco an early lead. Canada pulled one back courtesy an own goal from Aguerd but it was not enough as the match ended with a scoreline of 2-1 in favour of the African side. With this win, Morocco topped Group F above Croatia as they both advance to RO16.

Both Saudi Arabia & Mexico needed a win in order to stand a chance of progressing into the knockout stages. After a goalless first-half, Mexico took the lead through Henry Martin, two minutes after the restart. Five minutes later, Luis Chavez curled home a sensational free-kick to give Mexico hopes of qualification. But that came crashing down when Salem Al-Dawsari scored an injury-time goal against the run of play. Gerardo Martino's side pushed for the goal that could still take them through, but it wasn't to be on the night & El Tri would bow out on goal difference.