WTF

Richarlison, take a bow. There are few words that could possibly do this goal justice. After a difficult first half, Richarlison firmly stamped his name on the match with one of the all-time great World Cup goals. 

“Samba Soccer at its absolute best,” according to Stu Holden. “That is Joga Bonito. That is the Beautiful game,” added Jon Strong.

Richarlison, in his first World Cup appearance for Brazil, scored his second goal of the match with a beautiful overhead kick that will live forever, and deservedly so. 

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.

DOHA - France coach Didier Deschamps has decided not to replace injured striker Karim Benzema in his World Cup squad, leaving the reigning champions with 25 players for their title defense.

Benzema trained with the squad for the first time since arriving in Qatar on Saturday but was forced to leave the session early with a thigh injury and scans ruled him out of the tournament.

Asked on Sunday by TeleFoot whether he would replace the Ballon d'Or winner in his squad, Deschamps said "No".

AL RAYYAN, Qatar - FIFA President Gianni Infantino raised eyebrows on Saturday when he attempted to show empathy with marginalized groups by telling reporters in Qatar "I feel gay ... I feel like a migrant worker."

Infantino opened the traditional pre-World Cup news conference on Saturday with a lengthy monologue lambasting the critics of Qatar hosting the tournament because of the country's human rights record.

Senegal forward Sadio Mané has been ruled out of the World Cup in Qatar in a crushing blow to his team’s chances after officials confirmed on Thursday he would need surgery on a leg injury sustained in the run-up to the tournament.

Mané had been a doubt for the west African side after injuring his right fibula playing for German club Bayern Munich.

"Unfortunately, today's (Thursday) MRI shows us that the recovery is not as favorable as we hoped and we unfortunately resolve to declare Sadio's withdrawal from the World Cup," Senegal team doctor Manuel Afonso told reporters.

There've been plenty of examples demonstrating how Qatar — despite the obscene lengths it's gone to over the last 12 years — is not ready to host the World Cup with the opening match just days away. But there's no turning back now with 1.2 million visitors streaming into the country alongside legions of reporters, journalists and media personalities.