The quarterfinals begin on Friday — these are the craziest moments of the World Cup so far
The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has already begun. Controversy surrounding the tournament’s host country and some lacklustre games threatened to make this a forgettable World Cup… and not necessarily for the best of reasons.Despite this, some memorable moments remained.As we head into the quarter-finals, we wanted to look back at our five favourite World Cup moments.
Spain absolutely destroys Costa Rica 7-0
Okay, so this might not be the “best” moment for anyone watching the games this year. Still, the first few games were a real nail biter. Every kick, pass and hit counted even more as the games were close. That is, of course, until Spain and Costa Rica take the field on November 23.
With a final score of 7-0, the match between Spain and Costa Rica was the first real blow of the World Cup 2022. Even now, it is the hardest. Heading into the quarter-finals, it’s unlikely we’ll see a game that ends like this. At least we hope not. There were times when it was quite difficult to watch.
Ecuadorian fans chant “we want beer! “The FIFA fined Ecuador Team”
Fans who attended this year’s World Cup in person were most dismayed to learn that alcohol would not be allowed in any of the stadiums.
Saudi Arabia secured a surprise win over Argentina in their first match
One of the biggest shocks of the year came courtesy of a Saudi Arabian side who ended Argentina’s 36-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory. When we say that no one expected it, it also applies to the Saudi Arabian team. The fans were so unbelievably wild that we got the now iconic “Where’s Messi?” video of it.
Sadly, Saudi Arabia may have flown too close to the sun. They finished bottom of their group, while Argentina, as expected, dominated the rest of their first three matches. Still, there was something satisfying about watching one of the most talented football teams in the world break a sweat for once.
One World Cup fan is taking his celebration a little too far
Although Qatar has asked the fans to tone things down a bit this year, it is the World Cup. Sometimes our reactions are involuntary! One fan, 34-year-old Clovis Carvalho, couldn’t help but rip off his shirt after Brazil’s Richarlison scored the biggest World Cup goal of all time (we’ll get to that later).
Carvalho and his wife actually live in Qatar, which makes his cultural faux pas all the more disturbing. However, risking his long-term relationship with the Qatari people was a small price to pay. Like we said, there’s no telling what a crazy football fan might do in the heat. To be honest, it could have been worse.
Richarlison’s bike has made its way into the World Cup Hall of Fame
Okay, let’s get to the reason why Carvalho felt compelled to take his shirt off. Listen, we’re not saying there haven’t been some great goals in the first 17 days of the competition. We say that Richarlison’s bicycle kick against Serbia is so unbelievably amazing that it’s hard to think of anything else that comes close.
Nobody thought Serbia would win, but after Saudi Arabia’s surprise win against Argentina the day before, all bets were off. The Thanksgiving match between Brazil and Serbia went as expected with the former securing a 2-0 victory. But the real question is this: did they have to do it with such an unstoppable swing?