TouchlineFootball

  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

  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

  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

  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

  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