When FIFA awarded Qatar the World Cup back in 2010, concerns raised over the degrees of change the conservative country would go through in welcoming the world. My American peers expressed one main inquiry when I shared my plan to travel for the Cup: How will you drink beer over there?
Uruguay and Real Madrid star Federico Valverde almost had the highlight of his career on Thursday during his nation’s 0-0 draw vs. South Korea. With the score tied at in the 89th minute, Valverde ripped a shot from over 25 yards out that nearly brought the house down.
OFF THE POST
Federico Valverde nearly put Uruguay on top pic.twitter.com/9EBaxYMvWO
For the first time ever, American families will enjoy their traditional Thanksgiving meals before gathering around the television to watch something far superior to whatever the Detroit Lions are planning this season — the 2022 FIFA World Cup. We get four World Cup games on Thanksgiving Day this year, beginning at 5 a.m. ET and ending with the introduction of five-time world champions Brazil in Qatar at 2 p.m. ET.
Saudi defender Yasser Al-Shahrani was one of the stars in the surprising 2-1 win over Argentina. However, the player was not able to celebrate the victory properly after suffering a nasty facial injury. So bad that he was taken off the field on a stretcher and then flown home for surgery.
The whole sequence was hard to see.
Germany kicked off its 2022 campaign with a continuation of its World Cup struggles from four years ago. Japan scored a late equalizer followed by an even later winner to secure a historic 2-1 win over the champions from 2014.
JAPAN TAKES THE LEAD
JAPAN TAKES THE LEAD
JAPAN TAKES THE LEAD pic.twitter.com/V5Jzmnc8cJ— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 23, 2022
Japan shocked the world and defeated Germany 2-1 in the team’s opening World Cup game on Wednesday to get their 2022 tournament on track. My personal favorite moment of the match was German defender Antonio Rüdiger sprinting with his hilarious running form.
Interesting running technique by Rüdiger pic.twitter.com/0wx70rceUR
Saudi players were pumped up after Salem Al Dawsari scored the goal that stunned Argentina in their World Cup opener. So high was the rush that seconds after bagging the goal, defender Ali Al-Bulayhi went to Lionel Messi to taunt him.
Pasó lo que nadie imaginaba que pasaría. Arabia Saudita dio la primera gran sorpresa del Mundial luego de derrotar 2-1 a una Argentina que llegó a Catar como candidata al título y con una impresionante racha de 36 partidos internacionales invicta.
Repetimos, no es una broma.
El resultado – no está demás decir– le agrega una dosis extra de pimienta al Grupo C, que es también el de Polonia y México.
Argentina, ranked third in the FIFA Rankings and a trendy pick to win the World Cup, has suffered one of the greatest upsets in tournament history after Saudi Arabia, ranked 51st and expected to finish fourth in Group C, went toe-to-toe with the South American giant and prevailed 2-1.
The match had presented Argentina with a chance at equaling Italy's international record of 37 games unbeaten, but that streak is over and more importantly, La Albiceleste are in serious trouble with Mexico (Nov. 26) and Poland (Nov. 30) up next.
Semi-automated offside technology is in use for the first time in FIFA World Cup history in Qatar this year. The system is more accurate than the lines that VAR used to draw, but it hasn’t come without controversy. A Lautaro Martínez offside call during Argentina’s shocking 2-1 defeat vs. Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest talking points.