Joralexray Garcia
The 2022 World Cup Qatar is at its best following an exhilarating and unexpected quarterfinal round, during which we witnessed Argentina’s tough qualification and the surprise elimination of two strong favorites like Brazil and Portugal.
Even though there were only four games, they all had their share of highlights, controversies, and even oddities. JefeBet has compiled the highlights of the quarterfinals, so you won’t miss a thing from the biggest soccer event of the year.
Highlights from the FIFA World Cup Qatar Quarterfinals 2022
Croatia Puts an End to Brazil’s Six-Time Championship Dream
Brazil was the front-runner to win the World Cup and get the sixth star on their shield based on the caliber of their players and their performance thus far. And everything appeared to be going as planned after Neymar Jr. scored an incredible goal to start the scoring at the conclusion of the first half of extra time.
However, the Croatian team showed their resilience once again and tied things up near the end, forcing the match to be decided by penalty kicks, where, same as against Japan, they would end up winning thanks to their great goalkeeper, Dominik Livakovic, who had also been key during the match with several saves.
Emiliano Dibu Martínez le da el pase a Argentina en la tanda de penaltis
Argentina and the Netherlands’ game was anticipated to be exciting but also highly intense, and it fulfilled all expectations. Nahuel Molina scored for the South American squad in the 35th minute, following a superb assist from Lionel Messi.
However, even though Argentina were 2-0 up, Louis Van Gaal pulled out all the stops and managed to tie things up with a wonderful piece of skill in the last minute of second-half stoppage time. However, Emiliano Martinez, Argentina’s backup goalkeeper, came through by stopping the Netherlands’ first two penalties to lead his team to victory, something that Van Gaal hadn’t foreseen.
Things, however, would not end there, as even the ever-calm captain Lionel Messi commented about refereeing and Van Gaal and had a run-in with the Netherlands forward Wout Weghorst when making press remarks.
A Bitter End for Cristiano Ronaldo
The second day of the quarterfinals featured Morocco and Portugal with Cristiano Ronaldo once again sitting on the sideline, which provoked condemnation around the soccer world. If the Qatar 2022 World Cup had already provided many surprises, there was still one in store.
However, unlike against Switzerland, this time the Portuguese team would not have a happy ending, as the Africans would shock everyone with their strong defense and quick offense, and Youssef En-goal Nesyri’s in the 42nd minute made them the first African country to advance to the World Cup semifinals.
Cristiano Ronaldo went to the locker room in tears after what was probably his last game with his national team, something that has caused social media to flood with messages of support for the Portuguese player. It should be kept in mind that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has also had a difficult year, both personally and in terms of sports.
France Wants to Win the Championship Twice
Although they are the clear favorites to win the tournament, France had to work hard to defeat an always-tough England team in a game that they took control of after Aurélien Tchouaméni’s outstanding goal in the 17th minute.
However, Harry Kane would equalize early in the second half with a goal from the penalty spot, beating his Tottenham teammate and France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
The joy was short-lived, however, as a few minutes later Olivier Giroud made it 1-2 for the French. And although Kane again had the chance to equalize, this time his accuracy was not the best and he sent a penalty into the clouds to bring his team back to life,
a failure that filled all French fans and players with joy; Kylian Mbappé being a perfect example of this.
Despite the fact that there are just a few games remaining in what has been a World Cup to remember for many reasons, we can be confident that it will keep giving us surprises, feelings, and memorable moments right up until the very end.
