Qatar 2022: Quarter-finals of history, intrigue, high drama

Morocco, Croatia, France, and Argentina are the four countries left standing as the semi-final matches beckon after four quarter-final matches that produced history for the African continent.

Meanwhile, the English, again, returned home without the title. They were beaten by France. Football has refused to come home. And the long wait for a second title after the first one in 1966 won on home soil continues!

The legend-chasing Lionel Messi is still around in Doha, but Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal have bid Qatar farewell.

Croatia, the 2018 runners-up, out-duelled and out-struck the favourites Brazil, complete the final four, and no one should bet against them. They can wear down any opponent with their very tough mentality and resilience

Atlas Lions: The history makers

One of the boldest inscriptions around Qatar for the World Cup is “impossible is nothing.”

The Atlas Lions of Morocco have been playing with the belief that winning the World Cup is not unattainable, and they have not let their own history stops them, so perhaps Walid Regragui made sure ‘impossible is nothing’ was taped above his players’ beds and surroundings.

The Lions have made it to the 2022 World Cup semi-final after having just one knockout round on their CV in five World Cup appearances. They are currently 180 minutes or more away from claiming football’s Holy Grail.

Only eight countries- Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Germany, France, England, Italy, and Spain—have ever won the title. Two 2022 World Cup semifinalists, Morocco and Croatia, seek to join this exalted company.

Their FA President, Faouzi Lekjaa, said on 4 December that “I think all the ingredients are there to go as far as possible,” and the players have heeded the message through passion, collective effort, and the 12th man-the inimitable Moroccan fans—who have trooped to Doha in large numbers.

High drama between Argentina and the Netherlands

Louis van Gaal is an example of a manager who is stubborn and committed to his view of the ideal game of football. A lacklustre performance from his team and a 2-0 deficit to Messi-led Argentina forced a switch to Plan B, which is chaotic and obviously not an eclectic style of play. The Oranje found a way back with the help of six-footers, Luuk de Jong and Wout Weghorst.

The drama didn’t finish when Lautaro Martinez converted Argentina’s fifth penalty, and it still wasn’t over. One headed goal and an outstanding set-piece routine forced the duel into extra time and penalties. Emiliano Martinez has accused the Spanish referee of favouring the Netherlands in his decisions, and FIFA must reply. Despite the addition of 10 minutes of extra time, Weghorst’s equaliser came in the 111th minute. Denzel Dumfries still had time to receive a red card for inciting a brawl that broke out right after Argentina won.

This was the way a quarterfinal should be-hormones raging and the players giving everything to qualify for the last four. Was the match so dirty as to warrant 17 yellow cards? I do not think so, but referee Antonio Lahoz did all he could to maintain decorum and fairness in the proceedings.

For England, the wait goes on

According to Sky Sports, England has suffered World Cup heartache in seven of their last 12 appearances because of missed penalty kicks, and this was the ninth time they have crashed out in the quarterfinal. That thread continued on Saturday at Al Bayt Stadium, where Harry Kane scored one and missed one, which was crucial in the 84th minute.

The Three Lions were the better team, especially in the second half, but they failed to take advantage in the moments they were clearly on top. They will have to add another four years and make the choice of whether to keep or fire Gareth Southgate after all the hoopla about the World Cup title coming home.

… France keep their dream alive but Croatia and Argentina may deny a repeat

The last time a country successfully defended the World Cup title was in 1962, when Brazil beat Czechoslovakia 3-1.

France are drawing closer to repeating this feat, and it was close against England, but they are through to a second consecutive semi-final.

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For large periods on Saturday night, Les Bleus were under the cosh as England pushed for a winner, but after a good Jordan Pickford save denied Olivier Giroud, the Everton goalkeeper was helpless seconds later when Giroud’s header crashed into the net. This is no surprise as it is a well-worn script for not playing well but getting through by Didier Deschamps’ team.

And like the team they beat in 2018 final, Croatia are inching towards another final after Luka Modric and his country denied the world a South American Clasico in the semis after they sent Brazil packing. Both in the round of 16 and the quarterfinal, the Croats have progressed on penalty kicks, which means they are quite resilient. Their next match is against another favourite, Argentina with the inimitable Lionel Messi, but no one should write off the Croats, who look like they are on a mission.