Richarlison’s perfect volley
Richarlison scores for Brazil against Serbia from a volley. Photo by Reuters |
In the opening game of group G, Richarlison scored both goals for Brazil to secure the 2-0 win against Serbia. If the first goal was just a tap-in, the second was a work of art when Richarlison got a flawless touch on the ball before volleying it in.
Luis Chavez’s screamer free kick
Luis Chavez takes a free kick and scores for Mexico in the game with Saudi Arabia. Photo by Reuters |
In the 2-1 victory of Mexico over Saudi Arabia in the last match of Group C, Chavez made it 2-0 for Mexico in the 52nd minute. He scored with a direct free kick from 30 meters. Goalkeeper Al-Owais guessed the right direction but could not touch the ball.
Enzo Fernandez’s beautiful curler
Enzo Fernandez curls the ball in for Argentina against Mexico. Photo by Reuters |
In the 2-0 win against Mexico, Fernandez scored the second goal for Argentina in the 87th minute. From a corner, Rodrigo de Paul passed to Messi who dropped it to Fernandez, who then curled it into the top corner, leaving Mexico keeper Ochoa no chance. After the goal, Fernandez started in all the five other games and was voted Best Young Player.
Aboubakar’s elegant chip
Vincent Aboubakar chips the ball over Vanja Milinkovic-Savic in the game between Serbia and Cameroon. Photo by Reuters |
An intense game between Serbia and Cameroon in the group stage ended 3-3 and Vincent Aboubakar was the hero of the African team. Cameroon scored first but Serbia quickly turned it around to lead 3-1. Aboubakar shortened the gap in the 63rd minute as he escaped the offside trap and chipped it over keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
Neymar’s show
Neymar dribbles past keeper Dominik Livakovic before scoring in the quarterfinal between Brazil and Croatia. Photo by Reuters |
In the quarterfinal against Croatia, Neymar opened the scoring for Brazil in the first additional minute of extra time. The star forward made consecutive one-twos with his teammates, penetrated the penalty area, dribbled past the goalkeeper Livakovic, and then scored. The goal was an individual effort after Brazil struggled to find Croatia’s net during the main time. Without Croatia's surprise equalizer in the 117th minute, Brazil could have reached the semifinals.
Al-Dawsari’s shocker
Salem Al-Dawsari takes a shot and scores against Argentina in the 2022 World Cup. Photo by Reuters |
In the surprising group stage win of Saudi Arabia against Argentina in group C, Salem Al-Dawsari sealed the 2-1 victory with a powerful shot into the top right corner. Saudi Arabia was the only team that could beat Argentina, which went on to clinch World Cup Qatar 2022.
Paik Seung-ho’s thunderous strike
Paik Seung-ho strikes from long distance and scores for South Korea against Brazil. Photo by Reuters |
In the game between Brazil and South Korea, substitution Paik Seung-ho got one back for the Asian team in the 76th minute with a screamer from 25 meters that left keeper Alisson Becker no chance.
A dance of Brazilian players, finished by Richarlison
Richarlison finishes after a teamwork play of Brazil in the game with South Korea. Photo by Reuters |
Teamwork made the dream work in Brazil’s 4-1 win over South Korea in the round of 16. In the 29th minute, Richarlison juggled the ball in front of a South Korean defender, had a one-two with his teammates, ran into the box to receive the ball and finished cleanly. This attack completely disabled South Korea’s defense.
Mbappe’s unstoppable finish
Kylian Mbappe shoots and scores for France against Poland. Photo by Reuters |
In the round of 16, France scored a 3-1 win against Poland, with Mbappe scoring two of the team’s goals. His second goal was a curler in front of four Poland defenders in the first additional minute of the second half. Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny got one hand on the ball but couldn’t save it as the shot was too powerful.
Cody Gakpo’s cannon strike
Cody Gakpo scores for Netherlands against Ecuador in the group stage. Photo by Reuters |
In the group A game against Ecuador, Gakpo scored the first goal for the Netherlands in the sixth minute with a powerful left-foot finish after Moises Caicedo lost the ball at the edge of the box. The game ended a 1-1 tie. This was one of the three goals that Gakpo scored in this World Cup, with the other two scored in the group stage.