The final is born, it's named!
Yes, the final is born, it's called!
You can't play in the desert! World Cup in winter? Giant air conditioners are a waste of energy! Qatar is not a soccer country! You don't go to a country where human rights violations are rampant! Fans are paid to sit in the stands! European leagues cannot be suspended! Blah blah blah!
Amid boycotts and controversies, the Qatar 2022 World Cup organization started and the first of the two most curious questions was answered.
The final is born, it's called!
France vs Argentina
So, what paths were taken on the way to the final? Let's summarize and remember!
France were drawn in Group 'D' of the World Cup in Qatar and kicked off with a 4 - 1 victory over Australia in their opening match on 22 November. The score and the spectacular game served as an intimidation to their opponents both in the group and in the following matches.
When the dates showed November 26, the opponent was Denmark. At the end of a more controlled game, France won as expected and secured their position in the group by winning their two matches before the last match.
The November 30th match against Tunisia was nothing more than a formality, and in formality matches, surprise results are inevitable. France lost 1 - 0 to their opponent!
France, who finished top of Group 'D', was paired with Group 'C' runner-up Poland in the second round. After beating their opponent with a score of 3 - 1, it was not too difficult for France to reach the quarterfinals...
But the quarterfinal opponent was not so easy! The semi-final, perhaps a match that resembled the final, came early.
England vs France
France, who was lucky to be on the lucky side of the game that witnessed great contention from start to finish, was more skillful in taking advantage of the opportunities, even if they did not play better than their opponent, and with a score of 2 - 1, they made their name in the semifinals.
The opponent in the semifinals was Morocco, an African team that had pulled off the biggest surprise of recent times and made it to the semifinals for the first time. Moreover, Morocco was the only undefeated team in the organization until that moment. The expected happened and France reached the final with a score of 2 - 0, but the match was not as easy as expected!
Argentina took part in Group 'C' of the World Cup in Qatar. In the opening match, one of the biggest nightmares in the country's history came true. While everyone was trying to predict how many goals Argentina would score against Saudi Arabia on November 22, the scoreboard at the end of the match explained why football is beautiful. Argentina had lost 2 - 1 and their chances in the group were in jeopardy.
On November 26, it was a make-or-break game for Messi and his friends, who had no choice but to win going into the Mexico game... and the 2 - 0 win over Argentina allowed them to breathe a sigh of relief, with Messi opting for the continuation.
The November 30th match against Poland was a harbinger of a calmer and more confident path forward. Argentina missed a penalty but managed to win 2 - 0 without difficulty.
Argentina, who managed to finish the 'C' group leading with 6 points, faced 'D' group runner-up Australia in the second round. Argentina, the side that could not tolerate the surprise result in the opening match, made it to the quarterfinals with a score of 2 - 1.
They were paired with the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, a match that was expected to be a difficult one, suddenly turned out to be easy for Argentina. Despite going 2 - 0 up, they couldn't keep the score in the last 15 minutes and the 2 - 2 draw signaled that the match would go into extra time. In extra time, despite putting tremendous pressure, Argentina couldn't find a goal and had to surrender to a penalty shootout. At the end of the penalty shootout, they reached the semifinals with a 4 - 3 advantage.
The Argentina - Netherlands match was one of the most enjoyable and most yellow carded matches I have ever watched in the World Cup. The on-field brawl between the player who was going to take a penalty and the player who was going to take a penalty was the most vivid indicator of the rivalry.
When they faced Croatia in the semifinals, the score of 3 - 0 was proof that they wanted the trophy as badly as they did.
In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, who will reach the final, one of the two most curious questions? The question has found its answer. Argentina and France have shown themselves as the teams that have written their names in the final, in a way, as the answer to the question.
I see Argentina, who has been improving since the tournament started, as the favorite, while France was my favorite when the tournament started. Now I see France, who I think have underperformed in their last two games, one step behind. Nevertheless, in the final, small details and luck can play an important role in determining the winner.
Now let's get to the most curious question. Who will win the Cup?
Argentina?
France?
We'll have to wait a few more days for that answer!
I saw a lot of videos about the game at the TikTok my friend. It's really fun while watching it.