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Qatar 2022:  One trophy, three continents, who wins?

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By Sarafina Napoleon

Sarafina Napoleon is from Nigeria and is a first-year graduate student in Sport Administration at BGSU. As a journalist for 9 years, she brings a wealth of experience and insight to the Maxwell Media Watch.

We’re getting close to the climax of the 2022 FIFA World Cup which has already seen 158 goals scored, a record-breaking 88,966 spectators (at one game between Argentina and Mexico), 20+ yellow cards, and 5 red cards throughout 60 matches. There have been shocks, records broken, history made, heartbreaks, and ecstasies, and now there are only four teams left. Three continents, Africa, Europe, and South America, compete for the most coveted soccer trophy in the world.

One more victory would guarantee the four semifinalists a shot at immortality. To advance to the 2022 World Cup final, Morocco, who represents Africa, Argentina from South America, France, and Croatia from Europe, must defeat their opponents when they take the field on Tuesday and Wednesday. Every soccer fan is waiting with bated breath and high anticipation for the semifinal matches, which will see Argentina take on Croatia and France play Morocco.

France

Before the tournament, the French national team was hit with injuries that limited their chances of defending the title. Players like Paul Pogba, Ngolo Kante, and Presnel Kimpembe were all ruled out. To make matters worse, Christopher Nkunku, who was in the form of his life, and Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema picked up injuries. The defending champions were drawn alongside Denmark, Tunisia, and Australia and were the first team to qualify for the round of 16 after two games. After qualification, the les blues were expected to get past Poland in the round of 16 which they did. Then came the next test against the Three Lions of England at the quarterfinal stage, and the defending champions rose to the occasion and sent England packing. The team is now one game away from retaining the title. On paper, the les blues shouldn’t have any problems dispatching their next opponent Morocco on Wednesday but considering what we have been served at the ongoing World Cup, an upset shouldn’t be ruled out. The team has relied on their attacking prowess since the start of the tournament with four different goal scorers. The tournament’s top scorer Kylian Mbappé with five goals and two assists, and Olivier Giroud, with four goals, have been the team’s saving grace. Also, France has never lost a World Cup match that Kylian Mbappé has started. Should the team defend the title, these two players must deliver another masterclass performance against Morocco.

Kylian Mbappé (right) celebrates with Olivier Giroud.

One advantage the les blues have heading into the semifinal clash is the experience of their manager Didier Deschamps. Four years ago, he became only the third man to win the sport’s most cherished title as a player and a coach. Deschamps has won 13 games at the World Cup, putting him in third place all-time behind only Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari with 14 wins and West German Helmut Schon with 16 wins. One apparent weakness in the French team is the lack of discipline, which was evident in the game against England, giving away two cheap penalties. The team’s inability to kill off games and defensive frailties are other loopholes that could be detrimental to their quest. Can France become the first team in 60 years to win two consecutive World Cups?

Morocco

It took Morocco years of careful planning and focused effort to accomplish victory. An effort was made to raise the quality of the local league. Wydad Athletic Club of Morocco, who play in the Moroccan league, are the reigning Caf Champions League champions. In 2022, Morocco hosted and advanced to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations finals, where they defeated perennial powerhouse Nigeria in the process. Some current squad members are mainstays at some of Europe’s most prestigious clubs. While the Atlas Lions may lack the jaw-dropping individual talents of the les blues, they make up for it with a strong sense of teamwork and know-how. The North African club must avoid falling victim to schoolboy errors if they hope to defeat the current champions.

Argentina

After a devastating opening-round loss to Saudi Arabia, Argentina’s status as one of the favorites to win the 2022 World Cup plummeted. The team eventually made it out of the group and had to overcome the United States and the Netherlands to secure a semifinal place against Croatia. Argentina will be seeking retribution after being humiliated by Croatia in their previous match in 2018 by a 3-0 scoreline. Argentina has never lost in the World Cup semifinals and has advanced to the final each time they have reached this stage. Their most recent appearance was in 2014, when they lost in the final to Germany.

Team captain Messi has been in scintillating form for the La Albiceleste with four goals and two assists, equaling the record of Gabriel Batistuta for most goals at the World Cup. Messi looks pumped to win the World Cup, but they must get past a dogged opposition in Croatia. After Antoine Griezmann’s 17, Lionel Messi has created 16 scoring opportunities in the 2022 World Cup. For Messi to clinch the holy grail, his teammates must avoid profligacy against Croatia.

Croatia

The 2018 finalists are on the verge of making it to two consecutive World Cup finals, joining the likes of Italy, Netherlands, and Germany. Still, they face stiffer opposition from Messi-led Argentina. Luka Modric and his teammates will be looking to become the first team to play in consecutive finals for the first time in twenty years. The Vatreni ensured the elimination of the samba boys setting up a date with another South American team. Croatia had to rely on penalty shootouts to get past the round of 16 and quarterfinal stages.

A group of men in sports uniforms Description automatically generated with low confidence

Croatia has just one win in regulation time after five games played at the 2022 World Cup with a 100% penalty shootout record against Japan and Brazil. They have successfully reached extra time in five of their last six World Cup knockout matches. The Croatians might not be a free-scoring side, but they do know how to frustrate the opposition with their defensive formation as they did against Brazil.

Fine margins will determine the semifinal fixtures, and only the team with the mental capacity and concentration will make it to the final.

Qatar 2022: Atlas Lions roar into historic semifinal

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By Sarafina Napoleon

Sarafina Napoleon is from Nigeria and is a first-year graduate student in Sport Administration at BGSU. As a journalist for 9 years, she brings a wealth of experience and insight to the Maxwell Media Watch.

December 10, 2022

The 10th of December 2022 will go down in history as the day an African team advanced to the FIFA World Cup semifinals for the first time in the tournament’s history. The final whistle sounded, and to the surprise of the footballing world, Morocco had won, ending Ronaldo’s bid to win the one trophy that had eluded him thus far.

The Atlas Lions knew they would have their hands full in their quarterfinal match-up against Portugal and would have to play at a world-class level if they wanted to make history and advance to the semifinals. Portugal entered the game as the odds-on favorite, but Morocco had other ideas. African teams are never considered serious title contenders going into the World Cup because of their poor track record at the tournament’s finals. The Qatar 2022 World Cup was no exception. Nobody anticipated that Africa would change the course of history. Morocco, a North African team that failed to advance past the quarterfinals of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, was never expected to reach the FIFA World Cup semifinals the following year.

Since the early stages of the group stage, the Atlas Lions have been challenging the tournament’s top teams. Drawn in a group with heavy favorites like Belgium and Croatia, Morocco upset the odds by finishing first after beating Canada and Belgium and drawing with Croatia.

After making it into the tournament proper, they faced the challenge of eliminating the defending champions, Spain, in the round of 16. Yet again, they overcame overwhelming odds to send Spain packing. Considering how Portugal easily eliminated their opponents in the round of 16, scoring six goals in the process, the quarterfinal matchup against Portugal was widely predicted to be the match that would finally break the team’s resilience.

Portugal dominated the game but couldn’t find a way back after Youssef En-Nesyri scored the winning goal in the first half, creating a frenzy at Al Thumama Stadium. The win over Portugal left Cristiano Ronaldo in tears and heartbroken, considering that was his last realistic shot at winning a world cup trophy.

A person in a sports uniform Description automatically generated with low confidence

For a team that got a new manager in September 2022, a few months before the tournament, one can’t help but admire the tactical and technical abilities of the Moroccans. The Atlas Lions have conceded just one goal in five games at the ongoing tournament and can now dream of lifting the trophy. Still, they must first get past defending champions France who defeated England to clinch a semifinal spot. The question now is: Can the Atlas Lions roar into the finals? 90 minutes will tell, come Wednesday 14th December 2022.

Qatar 2022: The Impending Triumph of the Ultimate G.O.A.T

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By Sarafina Napoleon

Sarafina Napoleon is from Nigeria and is a first-year graduate student in Sport Administration at BGSU. As a journalist for 9 years, she brings a wealth of experience and insight to the Maxwell Media Watch.

November 4, 2022

The 2022 Winter World Cup will be Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s most significant World Cup competition, sixteen years after their 2006 debut in Germany. Both players are perhaps the greatest to have embellished the game of soccer, and it is challenging to comprehend this could be their final appearance at the World Cup.

They revolutionized the sport so drastically that calling them the greatest may not do them justice. There are some players you see on the field, and you know it was a pleasure to be alive during their era. Messi and Ronaldo were both born to play soccer; some consider Messi a product of talent, while others believe Ronaldo to be a product of hard work. Both players reshaped soccer, profoundly impacted a generation, broke records, and sparked the greatest soccer rivalry in history. There was an apparent rivalry at every level, from the club to the national team to individual awards.

For a decade, Messi and Ronaldo dominated all individual soccer awards, including the Ballon d’Or. At one point, it appeared that no one would ever challenge them. Every soccer fan sat back, witnessed, and relished every moment as they tested each other. At the same time, the rivalry transformed them into monsters of the sport, scoring a staggering number of goals. We witnessed discussions, comparisons, and statistical analysis week after week to prove one was superior to the other. Friends were pitted against friends, brothers against brothers, for one reason: Who is the better player?

The rivalry between these two grew beyond the pitch and manifested in corporate deals and endorsements. It amplified the rivalry between the two most prestigious sportswear brands in the world; Adidas and Nike. Since 2003, Nike has sponsored Ronaldo. In 2016, he became the third athlete in the brand’s history to receive a lifetime contract. On the other hand, Messi has been associated with Nike’s main rival, Adidas, since 2006 and signed a lifetime contract with the company in 2017, just like Ronaldo.

Except for one trophy considered the “holy grail” (world cup trophy) in elite soccer, they have nearly amassed everything there is to win in elite soccer. Every soccer player’s ultimate goal is to win the world cup, not just compete. The crescendo of competitive soccer is the World Cup. It is comparable to the European soccer club version of the Champions League. Despite their immense talent, Messi and Ronaldo have failed to help their nations win the trophy. The failure to win the world cup, according to some schools of thought, mars their illustrious careers. For others, winning the World Cup would solidify their place as the greatest of all time.

Diego Armando Maradona led the La Albiceleste to victory with the contentious “Hand of God” goal 36 years ago, which marked the last time Argentina won the World Cup. Under the leadership of Lionel Messi, there have been near misses. At the 2014 World Cup, the team’s talisman guided them to the Finals, where they fell to Germany on an extra-time goal from substitute Mario Gotze. The team also advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals in 2006 and 2010 but was eliminated in the round of 16 in 2018.

Lionel Messi finally ended his international trophy drought at an elite level in 2021 when Argentina won the Copa America. The Argentine plays like a newborn and is in scintillating form as the World Cup approaches. In contrast to his struggles the previous year, Messi has been outstanding for his club, PSG, this season, scoring 11 goals in 16 appearances.

Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, is a serial winner. He played a crucial role in helping the Portuguese team win the 2016 Euros, the nation’s first victory in a major competition. However, Portugal has never won the World Cup; their best showing was third in 1966. They were eliminated in round 16 in 2018 and could not progress past the group stage at the 2014 World Cup. It is also interesting to note that Portugal qualified for the Winter World Cup via playoffs after being gobsmacked at home by Serbia, who topped the group. At the club level, Cristiano Ronaldo has struggled ever since his second return to Manchester United. Under the new management of Erik Ten Hag, the Portuguese have been forced to accept a minor role. He could leave the team in January when the transfer window opens.

Given their ages, both players enter the Winter World Cup, aware of the significance of winning a trophy for their nation in 2022. They might not have another chance to redeem themselves if they don’t win the trophy in Qatar because the next World Cup is taking place in 2026. By that time, Messi and Ronaldo will be 39 and 41, respectively.

We live in an uncertain world, and only a soothsayer can predict what will happen in four years. Still, one thing is sure: Messi and Ronaldo will be in Qatar in a couple of weeks. Will either player be inspired to greatness by the desire to win the World Cup, or will the World Cup heartbreak continue?

Who will rule supreme on December 18, 2022?