Group stage: The celebration of heart, grit, and a beautiful game

It’s 58 minutes into the match. Both teams have had their fair share of attempts at each other’s goalposts. France have four men lined up in defence only a few metres ahead of their goalie Steve Mandanda. Tunisia’s Aissa Laidouni, meanwhile, has flicked a loose ball over to his skipper Wahbi Khazri. The 44,000odd attendees at Qatar’s Education City stadium — whether in the French blue or in the Tunisian red and white — will spend the next few seconds in shock and awe, as Khazri breaks into a blitz, ghosts past the French defence, and tucks away a beautiful, grounded shot into his opponent’s net. Mandanda has no chance. It’s the lightest of touches, at the most uncanny of angles.

For the rest of the match, France would hammer on at the Tunisian goalpost.

The Tunisia-france upset was very much in sync with the mood of the week at the FIFA World Cup 2022. It was a week of upsets and hard-fought ties. Here’s a look at the top three group matches this week.

Senegal outclass Ecuador

In Group A, while the Netherlands cantered to a twonil victory over Qatar, all eyes turned to Senegal and Ecuador.

The Lions of Teranga were on the attack from the start. Idrissa Gana Gueye, Boulaye Dia, and the rest of their attack squad battered on against the Ecuadorian defence. It was Ismailia Sarr’s 44th-minute penalty that broke the deadlock. But Ecuador were quick to pull one back in the second half with a beautiful setpiece finish by Moises Caicedo in the 67th minute. However, the Ecuadorian joy was short-lived as the Senegalese captain and defence mainstay Kalidou Koulibaly converted a free-kick into the winning goal.

The match ended with heart-breaking scenes for the Ecuadorian fans as members of their team could be seen on the verge of tears, exhausted and crestfallen, even before the final whistle sounded.

Morocco dream run continues

The Atlas Lions have been roaring from the beginning of this World Cup. They finished top of their group, with a solid victory over Canada in their last group match. The match began with a Canadian calamity as goalie Milan Borjan’s heavy touch on receiving ball sent the possession to Morocco’s Hakim Ziyech, who rocketed one straight back into the Canadian goalpost. And there was no respite; within 20 minutes, Youssef en-nesyri had charged through the Maple defence and bolted a second shot right past Borjan. While Canada’s Nayef Aguerd did pull one back at the 40th minute, it was the Moroccan defence and midfield that took the accolades away at the Al Thumama stadium.

Morocco’s final group stage match, however, is remarkable for its position in the series of performances. Their stubborn performance against Croatia and thumping win over in-form Belgium had set the mood for their triumphant campaign so far.

Japan: The giant killers of ’22

They struck the first nail, and were also the ones to hammer the final one into Germany’s World Cup coffin. The Asian giants, who have now proved themselves the giant killers of Group E, have so far defeated two of the last three World Cup winners in their group matches. While their first victory against Die Mannschaft came as a shocker, their rout of la Furia Roja was pure class and a bit of controversy.

Japan’s win knocked out Germany on points despite their 4-2 win over Costa Rica.

Time for knockout

As football’s quadrennial carnival heads into the Super16 stage, all but four slots have been filled. The final four matches in Groups G and H will determine the last entrants into the knockout stage. Brazil and Portugal have all but qualified from their respective groups, with Switzerland and Ghana fast on their respective heels.

At the time of writing this report, Portugal and South Korea were tied at one goal apiece while Uruguay was leading Ghana 2-0.