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THE TOUCHLINE FOOTBALL WORLD CUP 2022 AWARDS!

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  THE TOUCHLINE FOOTBALL WORLD CUP 2022 AWARDS! - Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via:  Adweek   Whew. Those twenty-eight days really flew by, didn’t they? And now we have to wait four years for the next one. This World Cup really had everything, didn’t it? Upsets, heartbreak, jubilation, last-minute equalizers, penalty shootouts, great goals, great saves, a GOAT finally lifting the trophy, and one of the greatest games of football of all time. Here’s what we made of it:   The Group Of Death Award Group F This was a tough one. Group E gave us a huge upset, and one of the most exciting three-minute stretches of football in World Cup history, but in the end, Group F just about nudged it. Morocco defied all expectations (except Samuel Eto’o’s) to finish first, eliminating World Number 2 Belgium in the process. Croatia finished runners-up by the skin of their teeth, and Canada were arguably the best last-placed team in the tournament. Into the knockout rounds, and it was time for Group
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REACTING TO OUR FIFA WORLD CUP 2022 PREDICTIONS!

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  REACTING TO OUR FIFA WORLD CUP 2022 PREDICTIONS! - Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via:  FIFA   Country: Brazil Prediction: Semi-Finals Result: Quarter-Finals (Brazil 1(2) - 1(4) Croatia) Comment: Heartbreak for Neymar. The Brazilians would have been happy to face Croatia, until they actually played Croatia. The Europeans showed immense grit to equalize, and once it went to penalties, you always knew Brazil were within a hair’s width of exiting. No one can deny this quarter-final exit hurts more than 2018’s loss, and, considering the wealth of talent Brazil had at their disposal, 2022 will go down as an underperformance for the Selecao.   Country: Argentina Prediction: Finals (Winners) Result: Winners Comment: Yeah, we got this right then didn’t we, and who would’ve thought after that opening loss against Saudi Arabia. Lionel Messi finally completed football, and no one can say he didn’t deserve it.   Country: Spain Prediction: Semi-Finals Result: Round of 16 (Spa
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3️⃣ POINTS FROM THE GREATEST WORLD CUP GAME OF ALL TIME

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  THREE POINTS FROM THE GREATEST WORLD CUP GAME EVER WHAT WE LEARNT FROM ARGENTINA 3(4)-3(2) FRANCE IN THE WORLD CUP 2022 FINAL - Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via:  Reuters Right then. First off, it seems cheap to reduce a game such as that to mere words on a screen. But I’m going to do my best (and fail miserably). Here’s what we made of it: 1.        Destiny: From the unbeaten streak before the World Cup and the loss against Saudi Arabia, to the absolute brilliance against Croatia in the semi-final, it always felt like destiny for Lionel Messi’s Argentina. But boy, did they try their hardest to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat from the jaws of victory. It seems fitting though, that Lionel Messi’s moment of ascension to GOAT-without-debate status is the greatest game of World Cup history, arguably one of the greatest games of all time, period. 2.        The Greatest World Cup Game Of All Time: That final was a fitting epitaph to what has been a fantastic World Cup; the best
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3️⃣POINTS AS FRANCE OVERCOME MOROCCO

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  THREE POINTS FROM FRANCE 2-0 MOROCCO WHAT WE LEARNT AS FRANCE JUST ABOUT SCRAPED PAST MOROCCO IN THE SECOND WORLD CUP 2022 SEMI-FINAL - Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via:  Hindustan Times   1.        The Kylian Mbappe Show: There was a moment in the semi-final when Kylian Mbappe received the ball near the sideline. The Frenchman waited, baited the Moroccan defenders, set himself, and then knocked the ball forward and ran. He got past three defenders in a dazzling show of pace on his way to the touchline, but his cross could not reach a French head. In a split second, Mbappe had dragged the entire French side from their own half to Morocco’s area, the perfect display of the threat he possesses. If 2018 was Mbappe’s emergence, then this World Cup is his coming of age. Tied at the top of the goalscoring charts with Lionel Messi, Mbappe is a man on a mission, looking to banish the ghosts of the Euro 2020 penalty shootout, and see his country to a first successful defence of a World Cup t
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3️⃣ POINTS AS ARGENTINA DEMOLISH CROATIA

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  THREE POINTS FROM ARGENTINA 3-0 CROATIA WHAT WE LEARNT AS ARGENTINA DEMOLISHED CROATIA IN THE FIRST WORLD CUP 2022 SEMI-FINAL - Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via:  Indian Express   1.        Messi’s Magic: This World Cup is basically a Lionel Messi highlight reel. The GOAT is the highest scorer, the highest assister, and has a goal and an assist in three of six games. He really took that stat of never scoring in a World Cup knockout game, and decided to completely tear it to shreds. Just like he did to Croatia on Tuesday night. Leo Messi stepped up to take a penalty, rocketing it into the top corner to give Argentina the lead. Into the second half, and Lionel Messi danced and glided and turned Josko Gvardiol, the best defender at this World Cup, inside and out, before serving the ball up on a plate for Julian Alvarez to slot home comfortably. The Moroccan and French defenders will be absolutely terrified seeing the Messiah in this sort of mood. 2.        Just How Good Argentina Are
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REVIEWING GAMES 29 TO 32: THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2022

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  WC 2022 REVIEW: PART SEVEN OVERVIEW OF GAMES 29 TO 32 - Mitansh Kagalwala   Goals, we finally got goals! Day Nine brought two goalfests, heartbreak, jubilation, joy, and disappointment. Cameroon and Serbia went toe-to-toe in a six-goal thriller, South Korea’s comeback was spoilt by Ghana, Brazil just about beat Switzerland, and Portugal dominated Uruguay. Here’s what we made of it: Cameroon 3-3 Serbia Jean-Charles Castelletto 29’, Vincent Aboubakar 63’, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting 66’ ; Strahinja Pavlovic 45+1’, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic 45+3’, Aleksandar Mitrovic 53’ Pause. Take a moment. Get your breath back. We’ve just witnessed the game of the group stage so far, and boy, can we not get enough of it. In a must win game for both sides, it was Cameroon who had a disadvantage before the game even began, with first-choice keeper Andre Onana going home after a disagreement with head coach Rigobert Song. Once the game did start, it was all Serbia in the opening, Aleksandar Mitro
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REVIEWING GAMES 21 TO 28: THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2022

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  REVIEWING THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2022: PART SIX GAMES FROM DAY SEVEN AND DAY EIGHT - Mitansh Kagalwala   Day Seven and Day Eight brought with them must-win games for several of the favourites, and more upsets. At this point, we might as well rename Day Eight as the Day of Upsets. Argentina cruised past Mexico to bring their World Cup campaign back on track, Costa Rica upset Japan, Morocco smashed Belgium, and Germany and Spain played out an enthralling draw. Here’s what we made of it: Argentina 2-0 Mexico Lionel Messi 64’, Enzo Fernandez 87’ They say that a man only ever needs six feet of land. If that “man” is Lionel Messi, then all he needs is two. Let’s be honest, the moment Messi got the ball on his left foot at the edge of the box with a little space, we all knew it was over for Mexico. A brilliant strike into the bottom corner, followed by a beautiful curler into the far past from Enzo Fernandez, and Argentina had saved themselves. But boy, they did not make it easy for
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REVIEWING GAMES 17 TO 20: THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2022

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  WC 2022 REVIEW: PART FIVE OVERVIEW OF GAMES 17 TO 20 - Mitansh Kagalwala   Day Six kicked Matchday Two off to a start, bringing with it the chance to get our first qualified nation and must-win games. Iran saved themselves from elimination with two late goals against Wales, Senegal dumped Qatar out of the tournament, the Netherlands just about earned a point against Ecuador, and the USA and England shared the spoils, which means the sport is now called Socball. Here’s what we made of it: Iran 2-0 Wales Rouzbeh Cheshmi 90+8’, Ramin Rezaeian 90+11’ Football gives us fans several moments that make us cry: last-minute goals, last-minute misses, and last-minute penalty calls, among others. It’s not often, however, that the sport makes us tear up before the game even starts. When you’ve been through as much strife as the Iranians have recently, it’s not hard to imagine why hearing your national anthem play for the world to hear causes such emotion, giving us some of the most ic
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REVIEWING GAMES 13 TO 16: THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2022

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  WC 2022 REVIEW: PART FOUR OVERVIEW OF GAMES 13 TO 16 - Mitansh Kagalwala   Day Five closed out Matchday 1, giving us a glimpse of where the teams stand, and lining up the groups for the first time. Switzerland overcame a spirited Cameroon side, South Korea held firm against Uruguay, Portugal just about scraped past Ghana, and stylish Brazil arrived at the World Cup, defeating Serbia. Here’s what we made of it: Switzerland 1-0 Cameroon Breel Embolo 48’ The Swiss continued their unbeaten matchday 1 streak with a victory over Cameroon, extending their record to six World Cup participations, traced back to 1966. Cameroon looked the more threatening of the two sides in the first half, but were unable to capitalize on their chances. Bryan Mbuemo was selfish, shooting at straight at Yann Sommer when Eric Choupo-Moting was free in the centre of the box. They would come to regret that, as three minutes into the second half, Granit Xhaka moved the ball out wide to Xherdan Shaqiri,
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REVIEWING GAMES 9 TO 12: THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2022

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  WC 2022 REVIEW: PART THREE OVERVIEW OF GAMES 9 TO 12 - Mitansh Kagalwala Day Four of the World Cup came with its fair share of shocks and surprises. Morocco continued the African Nations’ excellent record, holding Croatia, Japan arrived late to upset Germany, Spain absolutely demolished Costa Rica, and Belgium scraped past Canada. Here’s what we made of it: Morocco 0-0 Croatia Croatia’s golden generation might finally be past it. In 2018, the Croatians, led by Luka Modric, made their way to the finals, exceeding all expectations. This time around, it doesn’t the Croatians are upto matching that same level. The Croatian spine is ageing, and they looked their age, looking shaky against Morocco’s intense high pressing. Mario Mandzukic, who scored the winner for Croatia in the semi-finals last time around, is now on their coaching staff, and Ante Rebic and Ivan Rakitic are also gone. Indeed, only Josko Gvardiol was particularly impressive, cool and calm on the ball, and one of th
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REVIEWING GAMES 5 TO 8: THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2022

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  WC 2022 REVIEW: PART TWO OVERVIEW OF GAMES 5 TO 8 - Mitansh Kagalwala Day Three of the World Cup came fast, furious, and full of surprises. Saudi Arabia came from behind to shock Argentina, Tunisia held Denmark, Mexico drew to Poland courtesy of regular World Cup hero Guillermo Ochoa, and France routed the Australians. Here's what we made of it:  Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia Lionel Messi 10’ (P); Saleh Alshehri 48’, Salem Aldawsari 53’ We’re only 3 days into the World Cup, and we’ve already got one of the biggest upsets of all time. Argentina were coming off a 36 games-unbeaten streak, including victories against Brazil and Italy. Saudi, on the other hand, came into the game following a loss to Croatia, a draw against Panama, and narrow victories against Iceland and North Macedonia. Of course, the Saudi’s won. They put on a defensive masterclass, along with one of the best offside traps you’ll ever see (3(!) Argentinian goals were correctly ruled out in the opening half-hou
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REVIEWING THE FIRST FOUR GAMES: THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2022

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  WC 2022 REVIEW- PART ONE OVERVIEW OF THE FIRST FOUR GAMES - Mitansh Kagalwala And we’re off! Qatar broke the host country tradition of never losing the first game, England were magnificent as they trounced Iran, the Netherlands left it late to overcome Senegal, and Wales and the USA shared the spoils in a fiery encounter. Here’s what we made of it: Qatar 0-2 Ecuador Enner Valencia 16' (P), 31 Man, that scoreline really flatters Qatar. Amid rumours of Qatari officials allegedly offering bribes to the Ecuadorian players to lose, Ecuador showed up to the Al Bayt Stadium in the mood. From the start, the South Americans were clearly the better side, opening Qatar up time and time again, and it was only a matter of time before they eventually scored. When they did, we got to see the semi-automated offside technology in action for the first time, ruling out Ecuador’s opener. The scoreboard finally ticked forward after Saad Al Sheeb gave away a penalty, which was emphatically dis
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THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2022 QATAR: OVERVIEW OF THE 6️⃣ CONTENDERS- PART TWO

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  THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2022, QATAR OVERVIEW OF THE FAVOURITES- PART TWO - Samarth Purohit  and  Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via:  OldTraffordFaithful FRANCE The reigning champions enter this World Cup with aspirations of repeating their 2018 run. With the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Christopher Nkunku developing immensely since then, along with Karim Benzema’s Balon Dor winning form, France has a goal threat few others can compare with. However, things are not all sunshine and rainbows in Paris, as Deschamps’ squad has weakened compared to 2018, particularly in regards to the midfield and defence. France could possibly fill an entire squad with its injury list, with the likes of Paul Pogba and N’golo Kante missing out through injury, while Samuel Umtiti’s stock has plummeted in the last few years. Raphael Varane has been brilliant for Manchester United this season, but has been injured for the last few games, so his form and fitness are suspect as well, and he is expected t
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THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2022 QATAR: OVERVIEW OF THE 6️⃣ CONTENDERS- PART ONE

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THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2022, QATAR OVERVIEW OF THE FAVOURITES- PART ONE - Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via:  OldTraffordFaithful BRAZIL The Brazilians go to Qatar as the No. 1 Ranked side in the world, looking to add a sixth World Cup to their trophy cabinet. The South Americans are possibly the strongest side in the tournament, with a terrifying frontline featuring an in-form Neymar Jr. Central defence is another part of the team sorted, with Tite able to rely on Eder Militao, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Bremer. The fullbacks, however, are the clear sore spot in the squad, with Marcelo, Alex Sandro, Danilo and Dani Alves not exactly the most reassuring of options. Creative midfield is another area where the Brazilians are lacking, but Lucas Paqueta, Neymar, Bruno Guimaraes and Antony, among others, will be their main providers. The overall squad selection by Tite is not without controversy either, with the exclusions of Roberto Firmino and Gabriel Magalhaes in favour of Richarlison and Dani
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REAL MADRID 3️⃣-1️⃣ FC BARCELONA: REAL MADRID PLAYER RATINGS FROM EL CLASICO VICTORY

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  Real Madrid 3-1 FC Barcelona Los Blancos' Player Ratings - Shiven Roy -Editor:  Mitansh Kagalwala Real Madrid locked horns with arch-rivals FC Barcelona in what was a highly anticipated matchup but ended up being one-sided. Goals from the Karim Benzema, Federico Valverde and Rodrygo added salt to the wound of Barcelona’s sufferings in the Champions League. An El Clasico to remember for Los Blancos at their home. Here’s what we made of it: Photo Via:  indianexpress.com 1.       Andriy Lunin (7/10): Lunin replaced an injured Courtois for the match. He played well in goal, made a few saves, but wasn’t tested much by the Barcelona attack. A solid game from the Ukrainian. 2.       Daniel Carvajal (7.5/10): Carvajal had a good defensive as well as offensive game. He did well defending Pedri and Ousmane Dembele and was also involved in good moments of pressing up the field. 3.       Eder Militao (7.5/10): Militao was responsible for a few great interceptions in defence. He fulfilled
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