Doha, November 25 (QNA) – A great success at all levels is currently being witnessed by the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which was inaugurated by HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, last Sunday, and will continue until next December 18, which coincides with the National Day of the State of Qatar.
The State of Qatar presents one of the best versions of the World Cup, if not the best, throughout its history since its inception in 1930, according to statements by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and many stars and celebrities of the sports world.
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 started with the host countrys national team Qatar with Ecuador match, and ended with Brazil and Serbia match in Group G, 16 matches were played over five days.
Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, became the first player to score in five FIFA World Cup tournaments after scoring Ghana from a penalty kick in Group H. Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, shared the scoring record at four World Cups with Pele, Uwe Zeller and Miroslav Klose.
On the other hand, the Argentine legend, Lionel Messi, disappointed in his countrys first match against the Saudi national team, which ended with a historic victory for Saudi Arabia 2/1.
Some stars were on time, such as the young French star Kylian Mbappe, who scored a goal in his team’s 4-1 victory over Australia in Group D, Olivier Giroud scored two goals, bringing his tally to 51 goals, and becoming the historic scorer for France, equal to retired legend Thierry Henry, and Welsh star Gareth Bale who succeeded in scoring for his country from a penalty kick, to achieve a 1-1 draw with the United States in Group B.
The first round also witnessed the failure of some football stars such as Polish Robert Lewandowski, Uruguay Luis Suarez, Croatian star Luka Modric and German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
The first round of the tournament has, so far, seen 41 goals; 8 penalty kicks, 6 of which were converted to goals; 56 yellow cards; no red cards; 11 wins and 5 draws.
Six players scored brace (two goal in one match), these are Brazil’s Richalison, Spain’s Torres, Frances Olivier Giroud, England’s Bukayo Saka, Iran’s Mehdi Taremi and Ecuador’s Enner Valencia.
Arab teams made impressive results in the first round, where Saudi Arabia beat Argentina 2-1 while Tunisia and Morocco kept their nets clean after goalless draw with Denmark and Croatia. (QNA))