Upsets in the 2022 FIFA World Cup
“GOAL!!!” The word every soccer fan anxiously wants to hear, but doesn’t always expect.
In its 92-year history, the FIFA World Cup has often been the producer of many surprising match results. One of the biggest upsets in World Cup history was Germany vs. Brazil in 2014. Germany dominated Brazil with a final score of 7-1, the largest margin of victory in any World Cup semi-final in history.
The 2022 World Cup is just like any other, the match results are not always what’s expected or anticipated. Hosted by Qatar, some of the notable upsets this World Cup include: Saudi Arabia vs. Argentina, Japan vs. Germany, and Croatia vs. Brazil in the quarter-finals.
The most unexpected match result of the 2022 FIFA World Cup so far was the Saudi Arabia vs. Argentina game. On Tuesday, November 22, 2022, Saudi Arabia, ranked 51st in the world, beat Argentina, ranked 3rd in the world, with a final score of 2-1. Argentina’s Lionel Messi scored off a penalty kick in the 10th minute after Saudi Arabia’s Paredes was given a foul. The Saudis were able to equalize the score with a goal by Al-Shehri in the 48th minute. fans were astonished when Al-Dawsari scored another goal for Saudi Arabia just five minutes after the first. As reported by en.as.com, Argentina had three goals called off for being offside and without these they would’ve had no problem taking the win. According to olympics.com this game resulted in possibly the most iconic upset in modern World Cup history.
Another upset in the 2022 World Cup was the Morocco vs. Belgium game on Sunday, November 27, 2022. Belgium, ranked 2nd in the world, lost 2-0 to Morocco, ranked 22nd. Morocco’s Romain Saiss scored the first goal of the game in the 73rd minute, and Zakaria Aboukhlal scored again two minutes into stoppage time, finalizing the score. Belgium tied Croatia 0-0 and was eliminated from the World Cup just four days after losing to Morocco. Morocco went on to win the group and continue to the knockout rounds, with Belgium securing the third spot in the group and that being the end for them. The site olympics.com explains the shock that came with the result of this game and with Belgium ultimately being eliminated.
The most recent upset of this World Cup was the result of the Croatia vs. Brazil game. On Friday, December 9, 2022, Croatia and Brazil faced each other in the quarter-final of the World Cup. Brazil is the top ranking country in the world for soccer, while Croatia is ranked 14. The score was 0-0 for the entire game, meaning they had to go into overtime. Brazil’s Neymar scored in the 105+1′ and Croatia’s Bruno Petković scored at the 117 minute mark. Since the score was still tied after overtime, they had to go to penalty kicks. Croatia scored 4 penalty kicks, while Brazil only scored 2. According to sportingnews.com, Brazil won the coin toss meaning they would be shooting on the side with all the Brazil fans behind the goal. Croatia scored on the first penalty kick and saved Brazil’s first attempt, making the score 1-0. Croatia and Brazil both scored on their second and third attempts, making the score 3-2. Croatia scored again, meaning Brazil couldn’t miss any more shots. On Brazil’s last penalty kick, Marquinhos hit the ball off the post. With a final score of 4-2 for penalties, Brazil had lost their chance at winning a sixth world title.
With only four teams and three games left in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, stakes will be extremely high for these teams for the next few days. The winner not only gets glory, worldwide recognition and respect, and a world championship title, but the winning team also gets to take home a solid gold trophy. The modern FIFA World Cup trophy has been used since 1974, and it is every soccer team’s biggest dream to win it for their country.
