The World Cup So Far

Football in its purest form is about drama, romance, and agony. On the pitch, Qatar 2022 has delivered.

Sure, there has been the odd dull 0-0 but when you consider the number of shocks and stories that have emanated from this World Cup then you may consider it to be the best group stage in history.

For those of you who are still uneasy at FIFA’s running of the game and awarding Qatar the tournament, please know that the Emir has not quite got his nails into this modest blogger from Edmonton just yet.

FIFA boss Gianni Infantino kicked off the World Cup by hosting a bizarre press conference where he claimed that he understood the discrimination that Africans, migrants, and gay people (to name a few) felt because he once had red hair.

Now, speaking as someone whose friends still have my number saved as ‘weeman’ after all these years, I’ve got to tell Gianni that at some point you either need to seek help or get better PR advisors. It is simply not the same.

As requested, once the tournament starts, we should “stick to football” and that is what this piece is all about.

The tournament has been headlined by its upsets and we didn’t have to wait long. For Argentina, this World Cup is Lionel Messi’s ‘last dance’.

Their 36-game unbeaten streak – that included winning the Copa America – was broken by a resolute Saudi Arabian team that cared about little other than making a statement in the first World Cup in the Middle East.

Messi and Argentina would recover, beating Mexico and Poland and Australia to reach the Quarter Finals as expected. The same cannot be said for Germany.

Having been dumped out of group stages in Russia 2018 and the quarter finals of Euro 2020, Germany seems to be stuck between generations.

While this World Cup may have seen the end of Thomas Müller we have also seen the birth of Jamal Musiala. While me may laugh at Germany’s demise, I suspect it won’t be long until they’re back amongst the best in the world.

It is genuinely sad to see Belgium’s golden generation not fulfil its potential. Reports of infighting has taken its toll on a squad that has come close to glory but succumbed to pressure.

This is of course unfair to Japan and Morocco who have upset the European order. While possession of the ball may not have been their priority, they took advantage of their opponents’ weaknesses.

After a couple of poor tournaments, the African and Asian countries are having a renaissance.

Australia – who compete in Asia – surprisingly got the better of a talented Denmark team who reached the semi-finals of Euro 2020.

Granted they were well beaten in the end by Kylian Mbappe and France. However, we must be mindful that this isn’t a squad blessed by Premier League players as it has been in the past.

In my opinion, the last group games in Group H were the most dramatic (apologies to Group E). Ghana waited 12 years for revenge against Luis Suarez and Uruguay.

It was a game that saw Ghana miss a penalty and Suarez notch up two assists. It mirrored that dramatic quarter final from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

In the end an unexpected late goal saw South Korea beat an impressive Portugal team to dump Uruguay out of the tournament.

It may not have been the revenge that the Ghanaian’s had expected, but if they were to go out then, by God, they were going to take Uruguay with them.

Forgive me for not expanding on the Brazilian, Dutch, Spanish and French performances. They have been solid, but this World Cup has been about the underdog.

It is a shame – depending on your politics – that Qatar couldn’t perform better. They did after all win the 2019 Asian Cup.

Maybe they choked on the biggest stage? Major tournaments are enhanced by strong performances from the host nation. I predict we will get this from either the USA, Canada or Mexico in four years’ time.

I will, however, talk about England. We started the tournament with an impressive 6-2 win against Iran.

After several dreadful performances and relegation in the Nations League, it felt like a performance that finally got the best out our most talented players.

There is a sense that England would have won the Euro 2020 Final and World Cup Semi Final had Gareth Southgate gone for the jugular rather than relying on a more pragmatic approach.

However, it should be said that no England manager has done more to unite players, supporters and the media like he has.

The critics returned after the 0-0 draw with the United States and while it was a poor performance, it should never have been a thought of as an easy game.

We must remember that most of the teams in this tournament have players that are playing in Europe’s major leagues.

England went into the ‘British derby in the desert’ knowing it was almost impossible to be eliminated baring a disaster. England would run out 3-0 winners with a dominant performance.

We all expected the Welsh to excel in this tournament as they have done in the last two Euros. While we all laughed at Kieffer Moore’s statement that he “couldn’t wait to knock England out,” it is important to remember that qualifying for their first World Cup in 64 years should be seen as an achievement.

This of course won’t stop our friends from the Valleys and Highlands from going ‘full Infantino’ by identifying with and supporting the African Champions on Sunday night.

Senegal will be England’s toughest test so far. They’re comfortable playing knockout football, having won the African Cup of Nations in February. They then followed this up by knocking out Egypt to qualify for Qatar.

Despite being without Sadio Mane, Senegal are led by the charismatic Aliou Cisse. You may remember him from his time at Portsmouth under Harry Redknapp.

Cisse’s finest moment came in the 2002 World Cup when he captained Senegal to the Quarter Finals. They arguably caused the biggest upset in the tournaments history when they beat, reigning champions, France.

It is important to emphasise that England shouldn’t fear anyone when you consider the array of talent at Southgate’s disposal.

Such is the nature of English football, opinions on the starting line-up will differ depending on which club you support.

We just must hope that Southgate’s decisions allow our talented Lions to flourish. If he gets it right, then there is a chance that football can come home.