The first men’s winter World Cup will forever be marred by controversy off the pitch.
On it, the tournament was one for the ages. Over a month, we were treated to upsets, comebacks, individual brilliance and football history.
Narrowing the competition down to just 10 highlights was not straight-forward, such was the spectacle in Qatar.
Argentina win first World Cup since 1986
Eight years after losing to Germany, six years after Lionel Messi’s first international retirement, and 36 years after they last were crowned champions of the world, Argentina prevailed in the most entertaining World Cup final ever.
Their route to Lusail Iconic Stadium on Sunday was not without peril, needing to win back-to-back group matches and requiring a penalty shootout to see off the Netherlands.
The focus, inevitably, was on Messi, checking off the final trophy in a perfect career. Argentina were at the top for the first time since the days of Diego Maradona, and it came at the end of a barely fathomable match.
Croatia eliminate favourites Brazil on penalties
Croatia clung on against Belgium to reach the knockout rounds, and needed a penalty shootout to get past Japan. Heading into the last eight tie with Brazil, the Vatreni were massive underdogs.
A combination of fortune, resilience and experience saw Croatia force extra time. Brazil were wasteful at points and naïve at others.
Dominik Livakovic, who could be on the move in January, was the hero in the shootout as Croatia confirmed another semi-final berth.
Saudi Arabia stun Argentina
One of the greatest World Cup betting shocks of all-time remarkably featured the eventual winners. Saudi Arabia had just three shots and 31% possession.
Two of those shots found the back of the net. Argentina, aside from Lionel Messi’s first half penalty, could not get past Mohammed Al Owais.
Poor finishing and some tight offside calls cost La Albiceleste in their opening match but they secured wins over Mexico and Poland to move into the last 16.
South Korea’s last-gasp winner seals knockout berth
South Korea had to absorb pressure against Portugal in the final round of group stage fixtures. Needing a win, the Taegeuk Warriors posed a threat of sort on the break, but as the game headed to added time, they were heading home.
Then, an inch-perfect counter attack changed everything. Heung-min Son held the ball, drawing defenders, and waited until the precise moment to slide Hwang Hee-Chan behind the defence for a tidy finish.
South Korea reached the last 16 after consecutive group stage exits.
Kylian Mbappé nets second ever final hat-trick
When France were lethargic and seemingly ambling towards a 2-0 defeat in the final, Kylian Mbappé scoring the first World Cup final hat-trick since 1966 seemed far-fetched at best.
Mbappé was already one of the players of the tournament. When Nicolas Otamendi committed a typically clumsy foul to give Les Bleus a penalty, the PSG forward stepped up and converted calmly.
Barely a blink of an eye later, Mbappé scored an iconic World Cup goal, firing past Emiliano Martinez with a right-footed volley from the edge of the area.
In extra time, after Messi had put Argentina ahead again, Mbappé again fired past Hugo Lloris from the spot (which he repeated in the shootout) to join Geoff Hurst in a very exclusive club.
Morocco see off Spain & Portugal
Topping a group ahead of Belgium and Croatia was a seismic achievement for Morocco. What followed in the knockout rounds was historic.
First knocking Spain out on penalties after nullifying La Roja’s possession attack, Morocco then scored early and held off Portugal to book a last four date with France.
Ghana hold off South Korea in five-goal thriller
Ghana had just seven shots to South Korea’s 22 in an epic Group H encounter.
Having taken a two-goal first half lead, the Ghanaians were poised for victory, but the match swung in a three-minute span with a brace from Cho Gue-Sung either side of the hour mark.
Mohammed Kudus scored his second of the match moments later to put Ghana 3-2 up, but that was far from the end of the drama.
A barrage of South Korean attacks followed. Ghana hurled themselves in front of shots, and the Taegeuk Warriors squandered goal scoring opportunities.
Losses to Portugal and Uruguay meant Ghana still finished bottom of the section, while South Korea progressed to the round of 16 in equally dramatic fashion.
Gonçalo Ramos scores hat-trick in historic Portugal win
Fernando Santos made the bold, arguably overdue, move to leave Cristiano Ronaldo out of Portugal’s last 16 match against Switzerland.
Gonçalo Ramos led the line instead, becoming the first player to score a knockout stage hat-trick since 1990 and the first to score a hat-trick in his first World Cup start since 2002.
O Feiticeiro only scored his first international goal against Nigeria in a warm-up match last month. He’s going to be a fixture in the Portugal team for years to come.
Japan top group ahead of Spain & Germany
Japan were outsiders before their matches with Spain and Germany. The live betting markets didn’t give them much of a chance either.
Their direct, electric attacking play stunned Germany in the opening match. A loss to Costa Rica appeared to have undone that good work. Against Spain in the final group fixture, Japan again fell behind.
Two second half goals in quick succession turned the match and group on its head, sending Japan to the round of 16 as winners of the section.
Weghorst becomes unlikely Dutch hero
World champions Argentina looked most vulnerable in Qatar when Louis van Gaal turned to Burnley flop Wout Weghorst.
The Borne native scored his fourth and fifth international goals as the Oranje overturned a two-goal deficit, the latter of which was a smart control and finish from a training-ground free-kick routine to force extra time.
It wasn’t to be for the Dutch, as they ultimately lost on penalties. Weghorst was among the scorers from the spot.
