The World Cup knockouts just started a few weeks ago, and yet we’ve already seen some unforgettable matches that will go down as some of the most entertaining (and controversial) in the tournament’s history. Now that semifinals have ended, let’s look at some of the best moments so far.
Honorable Mentions
Every World Cup knockout comes with upsets, and this year’s edition was no exception. Despite not being the most interesting game, Germany’s 1-1 loss to Paraguay (who later lost to France 1-0 in the Round of 16) on penalties in the Round of 32 is still arguably the biggest upset of the tournament. Paraguay was only ranked the 41st best national team coming into the tournament while Germany was 10th, making it the 4th biggest upset recorded in World Cup history according to Fox Sports.
Some other surprising triumphs: Portugal beat last World Cup 3rd place finalists, Croatia 2-1 in the Round of 32, Norway made its first ever World Cup quarterfinals after defeating Brazil 2-1 and Morocco beat the Netherlands on penalties after a tumultuous 1-1 draw in regulation.
In the quarterfinals, everything went as planned, with all four favored teams (France, Spain, Argentina and England) beating their respective opponents, marking the first time the top four ranked teams made the semifinals. However, the games weren’t all blowouts. England vs. Norway went to extra time after being tied 1-1, with midfielder Jude Bellingham scoring the winning goal in the 93rd minute, while Spain vs. Belgium was a tightly contested game until the 88th minute when midfielder Mikel Merino powered a tap in to make it 2-1 for Spain.
The semi-final featured semi-upsets (pun intended) with:
- England vs. Argentina
It’s no coincidence Argentina is featured here three times. They’ve mounted unforgettable comebacks and surprised millions of fans (including me) who counted them out multiple times. This semifinal was no different.
A thriller for neutral fans but a heartbreak for England, looking like it was about to overtake France as the favorites of the tournament when they were leading against Argentina in the 84th minute. Yet it all collapsed a minute later after Messi assisted Enzo Fernandez’s first goal to begin the comeback.
Only seven minutes later, Lautaro Martinez equalized for La Albiceleste after another brilliant pass from Messi. While England had parked the bus for most of the second half, they seemed to energize themselves in the last five minutes. It was too late as Argentina qualified for the finals after holding on to the 2-1 lead. The highly-anticipated matchup of France-England will still happen; only it will be on Saturday for third-place.
- Argentina vs. Egypt
The medicine industry must be booming in Argentina right now since Messi & Co. have kept their fans’ blood pressure high over the past week. After edging what was already a close battle against Cape Verde in their Round of 32 knockout game (R.I.P. to one of the greatest runs in World Cup history), Argentina outdid themselves by going 2-0 down to The Pharaohs in what looked like a sure win for Egypt.
But just as Senegal had collapsed in the Round of 32, Egypt’s defense began to look shaky when Cristian Romero scored the first goal for the Argentinians in the 79th minute. After Messi’s equalizer in the 83rd minute, it wasn’t even a surprise when Argentina took the lead just ten minutes later in the 2nd minute of stoppage time through Enzo Fernandez.
What really caught the attention of neutrals (other than the brilliant Argentinian comeback) was the comments made by the Egyptian coach and players after the game. After multiple VAR controversies in the second half, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan and player Mostafa Ziko spoke out against referee François Letexier, calling the tournament “rigged” and the referee “unfair”. Was Egypt truly “robbed” of a win? Maybe, but that didn’t stop Argentinians from celebrating.
- Argentina vs. Cape Verde
Viewed as arguably the most entertaining match of the World Cup so far, Cape Verde (a country with a population of about 530,000 people) took the World Cup by storm when they qualified for the Round of 32 after drawing three times in the group stage. After placing second in Group H, they came up against the previous champions. While most people were expecting their World Cup aspirations to end here (which they did), Cape Verde didn’t go down without a fight, losing 3-2 only after a hard-fought battle in extra time.
When Messi scored the first goal in the 29th minute it seemed sure to be a rout, but Cape Verde played solid defense and leveled the match after a tap-in from Deroy Duarte. In extra time, Lisandro Martinez (from an eerily similar place to Messi’s goal) put Argentina ahead before Sidny Lopes Cabral scored right before the end of the first half of extra time.
It was Cape Verde who put the final nail in their coffin, however, as a goal from Diney sealed the win for Argentina. While they may be gone from contention, they’ll never be gone from our hearts as the biggest dark horses in this tournament.
What’s next?
Will Spain’s golden boy Lamine Yamal lift the nation’s second ever World Cup, or will Messi’s magic do it again for Argentina? No matter what happens, all eyes will be glued to the TV or the pitch come Sunday, July 19 to see who lifts the golden cup once more.
