SOCCER

The 2022 World Cup semifinals have thrown up two eye-catching contests, with superstar names like Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe hoping to reach the grand finale in Qatar. All four coaches face crucial decisions on their team selections, as knockout football leaves no room for error, and extra time and penalties become increasingly frequent.

A sobbing Cristiano Ronaldo exited his final World Cup heartbroken after Moroccoo sprung a quarterfinal surprise. The Portuguese No.7 burst into tears at the final whistle and quickly headed for the tunnel at the Al Thumama Stadium.

If we hadn’t had the opportunity to witness their technically astute, precise brand of soccer, powered by an unrelenting belief they belonged on the field with established world powers, we might never have known Japan had visited the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Pele’s place as one of the greatest footballers of all-time remains unrivalled but his status in his native Brazil is beyond iconic. Despite producing generations of world class players, Pele remains synonymous with Brazil’s greatest achievements, after he won three World Cup titles with the Samba Boys between 1958 and 1970.

Qatar 2022 has created a string of competition firsts, as the FIFA World Cup switched from a summer tournament to a winter schedule in a major shift from tradition. The tournament also marks the first World Cup held in the Middle East, and despite major criticism over FIFA’s decision to select Qatar as hosts, it has broken new ground in the Arab state.