RECORD-BREAKING
2022 Qatar World Cup sets new highs
THE 2022 World Cup in Qatar broke numerous records, including the most number of goals scored thanks to Sunday’s sixgoal final.
Argentina and France were level at 3-3 after extra time, with Argentina winning the subsequent penalty shoot-out 4-2 to claim their third World Cup title and first since 1986. Fifa president Gianni Infantino described the match as “the best final ever”.
According to Fifa, the final helped make it the highest-scoring World Cup ever. A total of 172 goals were scored, eclipsing the previous record of 171 goals achieved in 1998 and 2014.
Guiness World Records said a number of other new records were also set during the tournament. Argentine captain Lionel Messi notched up a record 26th World Cup appearance (male), surpassing the previous record of 25 first set by Germany’s Lothar Matthäus and equalled by Messi in Argentina’s semi-final win over Croatia.
He also set several other new records, including being awarded the most Fifa World Cup “Man of the Match” awards (11), the first person to assist at five different Fifa World Cups, and the most Fifa World Cup appearances as captain (19). Before the start of the 2022 World Cup, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Arjen Robben had each won six Man of the Match awards at World Cup tournaments. Messi pulled ahead of the pack with a string of dazzling performances, being named Man of the Match in five games including the final. Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded Man of the Match once in Qatar, after scoring in Portugal’s opening match against Ghana to become the first person to score at five different Fifa World Cups. The 2022 World Cup was the fifth of Messi’s career, equalling the record for the most appearances in Fifa World Cup tournaments by a player (male), which is also shared by Lothar Matthäus, Rafael Márquez, Antonio Carbajal, Cristiano Ronaldo and Andrés Guardado.
Messi made his World Cup debut in 2006, aged 18, when he came on as a late substitute in Argentina’s group-stage game against Serbia and Montenegro, assisting one goal and scoring another as his side romped to a 60 victory.
Messi also became the first player in World Cup history to score in the group stage, round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final of a single edition of the tournament.
Meanwhile France’s Kylian Mbappe became only the second player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final and the first since Geoff Hurst in 1966, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals.
In addition to his goal in the 2018 World Cup final against Croatia, Mbappe has now scored more goals in World Cup final matches than any other player in the history of the tournament.
Mbappe has also scored a total of 12 goals at World Cup competitions and became the youngest player ever to reach that tally at the age of 23 years and 363 days, surpassing Gerd Müller (24 years and 226 days).
His second-half volley to level the scores at 2-2 in the final against Argentina last Sunday was clocked at 123.34 kph, making it the most powerful scoring shot in the tournament.
The 2022 World Cup final was the first in which two players from both sides – Mbappe and Messi – scored at least twice and also the first in which both sides scored at least three goals.
Argentina have now won six penalty shoot-outs in World Cups, more than any other nation.
In contrast Spain became the first country to lose four penalty shoot-outs in World Cup history.
England were eliminated from the quarter-final stages of the World Cup for the seventh time, more than any other side in the history of the competition, while the 13 goals they scored was the highest number of goals England have scored in a single edition of a major tournament (World Cup and European Championship).
For the first time ever, countries from five different continents qualified for the knockout stage, with Morocco becoming the first ever African or Arab nation to make it as far as the semi-finals, where they lost 20 to France.