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2022 FIFA

WORLD CUP AUTHORS

EVERYTHING NOW YAP SOON GUAN
HONG JUN YANG
LIM ROU XUAN
The best and the most memorable moments
from the 2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup has been filled with lots of interesting moments, from major
upsets and headless headers to the great example Japanese fans set for everyone and the
deaths that occurred in and around the event—okay, maybe the last one is a downer but
yay football!
Japan beats Spain
The Japanese rewrote history at the 2022
FIFA World Cup by conquering not one but
two FIFA World Cup champions in their
group. The one vanquished this time was
world no.7 Spain — the winner of the 2010
tournament.
While the Japanese met Spain, the Germans
had a do-or-die situation with Costa Rica.
Additionally, it was also necessary for the
Germans to qualify for the knockout stage
that Japan either lost to Spain or at least
ended up in a draw.
Japan went 0-1 behind Spain when Álvaro
Morata scored a goal in the 11th minute. But
the famous grit that the Japanese displayed
throughout the tournament was not subdued.
Just after half-time, Ritsu Dōan, the one who
turned the tide against Germany,
came in as a substitute and quickly scored
the equaliser in the 48th minute. Three
minutes later, midfielder Ao Tanaka gave
Japan the lead — a goal that effectively
knocked Germany out of contention.
As the final whistle rang, Japan became
the only team in Group E to enter the
Round 16 of the tournament after winning
two matches. Understandably, fans back
home in Japan held wild celebrations on
the streets. The famous win gave many
the confidence that Japan could even lift
the World Cup this time.
The first African team to defeat
Brazil and a red card that went viral
It takes something special for a team
ranked 43rd in the world to defeat a team
ranked no.1, which is also the favourite to
win the 2022 tournament. And Cameroon
did just that.

It takes something special for a team ranked
43rd in the world to defeat a team ranked
no.1, which is also the favourite to win the
2022 tournament. And Cameroon did just
that.
Playing in Group G, the Central African
country had a slim chance of qualifying for
the knockout stage. No one could have
thought that they would be able to settle for
a draw, let alone defeat, the South American
giants.
Even though some of Brazil’s star players
were out with injuries and the team was
basically a “second string” side, as pundits
noted, the South Americans nevertheless
failed to convert any of their seven shots on
target into a goal.
It was certainly a spirited game by the
Cameroon side. As the match headed for a
draw, Vincent Aboubakar, the Cameroon
skipper and striker, hammered in the 92nd
minute of the match to create history.
Cameroon had never won a match at the
World Cup since 2002, when they defeated
Saudi Arabia. Aboubakar himself became
only the third African player after Didier
Drogba in 2010 and Joel Matip in 2014 to
score against Brazil in a FIFA World Cup.
But what went viral on social media was
Aboubakar getting a red card from the
referee for removing his shirt during
celebration of the goal.
As per rules, removing the shirt during the
match gets a player a yellow card. Since
Aboubakar had already received a yellow
card for a previous offence during
the game, the second yellow in the same
match meant that he was automatically
red carded.
Cameroon, sadly, still could not qualify
as Switzerland defeated Serbia in their
encounter.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s header that
didn’t touch the head
Portugal team skipper Ronaldo has
certainly been at the centre of attention in
the tournament. One of the world’s richest
athletes, he is, after all, the record holder of
most international goals.
In Portugal’s 24 November Group H match
against Ghana, Ronaldo scored a goal from
penalty to become the only footballer in
history to have scored in five FIFA World
Cup tournaments. But it was Portugal’s
match against Uruguay on 28 November
which led to a brief controversy over
Portugal’s opening goal in the match that
Ronaldo claimed as his own.
That goal came at the 54th minute of the
game from Portuguese attacking midfielder
Bruno Fernandes, with whom Ronaldo
played at Manchester United also, till the
latter had an unceremonious exit on 22
November.
When Fernandes made a cross, it appeared
as if Ronaldo had headed it into the goal.
He even briefly celebrated on the field
before the official scoreboard gave the
goal’s credit to Fernandes. Even FIFA’s
official Twitter handle had initially
indicated that it was Ronaldo who scored
before putting out the official stand.
HOW MANY WORLD
CUPS HAVE
ARGENTINA WON?
History, wins, and times
Albiceleste
were FIFA men's champions
I don't enjoy surprises that compel me to renegotiate my relationship
with the past.
— Adib Khan
Argentina have not always been the
giants of the game that nearby Brazil
were in the early days of the FIFA World
Cup, but thanks to a rise to power in the
1970s and 1980s, the Albiceleste are
known today as one of the most
accomplished nations in world football.
HOW MANY WORLD CUPS HAVE
ARGENTINA WON?
1978 FIFA World Cup
As hosts, Argentina hoisted the nation's
first FIFA World Cup title, led by the
tournament's top goalscorer Mario
Kempes, at the time playing for Valencia
in Spain.
As second-place finishers in the first
group stage behind Italy, they topped
Brazil on goal differential in the second
group stage, largely thanks to a 6-0
demolition of Peru in the final match.
Kempes scored two of his six World Cup
goals in that pivotal game, but wasn't
quite done yet.
WRITTEN BY
KYLE BONN
Today, Argentina is considered one of
the most dominant and fearsome
countries in international football, with
many players at top clubs across the
world, and a rabid and passionate
fanbase that follows the team all over
the world.
1In the final against the Netherlands,
Kempes would open the scoring on 38
minutes, and while the Netherlands
answered in the 82nd minute to send
the match to extra-time, Kempes would
bag the winner in the 105th minute to
hoist the trophy, eventually winning the
match 3-1. The match was marred by
controversy as the Netherlands were
upset with some delay tactics from
Argentina prior to the game, but the
hosts reigned supreme.
1986 FIFA World Cup
The tournament, initially meant to be
hosted in Colombia, was eventually held
in Mexico due to financial issues in the
South American nation. Mexico would be
captivated by Diego Maradona, who
starred in the tournament and led
Argentina to World Cup glory.

A 1-1 draw with Italy was the only blemish

of the group stage as Argentina topped
Group A and advanced to the knockout
stage. The Albiceleste knocked out
Uruguay and England in the first two
knockout stage matches, both via one-
goal victories. The match against
England became famous for the 'Hand of
God' goal in which Maradona leapt to
head the ball on frame, but instead it hit
his hand and went into the back of the
net, which was not seen by the official as
the goal stood.

A Maradona brace led Argentina past

Belgium 2-0 in the semifinals, and while
the superstar was held off the scoresheet
in the final against Germany thanks to
the defending of Lothar Matthaus, it Argentina history at the World Cup
opened up spaces for his teammates,
and Maradona's stunning assist led to an Argentina have reached four prior World
86th-minute winner from Jorge Cup finals and won two, lifting the trophy
Burruchaga, giving Argentina a 3-2 win in 1978 and 1986, both times surrounded
to earn their second FIFA World Cup title. by controversy.

They have also missed four previous

World Cups, withdrawing from three in
1938, 1950, and 1954 due to political issues
and controversy around the host
selection process. They then failed to
qualify in 1970, finishing bottom of their
three-nation group behind Peru and
Bolivia, with only the group winner
earning a spot at the World Cup.
Introduction of FIFA WORLD CUP
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the
World Cup, is an international association
football competition contested by the senior men's
national teams of the members of the Fédération
Internationale de Football Association (FIFA),
the sport's global governing body. The
tournament has been held every four years since
the inaugural tournament in 1930, except in 1942
and 1946 when it was not held because of the
Second World War. The reigning champions are
Argentina, who won their third title at the 2022
tournament.
The format involves a qualification phase, which
takes place over the preceding three years, to
determine which teams qualify for the tournament
phase. In the tournament phase, 32 teams compete
for the title at venues within the host nation(s) over
about a month. The host nation(s) automatically
qualify to the group stage of the tournament.
As of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, 22 final
tournaments have been held and a total of
80 national teams have competed. The
trophy has been won by eight national
teams. Brazil, with five wins, are the only
team to have played in every tournament.
The other World Cup winners are
Germany and Italy, with four titles each;
Argentina, with three titles; France and
inaugural winner Uruguay, each with two
titles; and England and Spain, with one
title each.
The World Cup is the most prestigious
association football tournament in the
world, as well as the most widely viewed
and followed single sporting event in the
world. The viewership of the 2018 World
Cup was estimated to be 3.57 billion (half
of the global population) with an
estimated 1.12 billion people watching the
final match.
Host
Selection process
Early World Cups were given to
countries at meetings of FIFA's
congress. The locations were
controversial because South America
and Europe were by far the two
centres of strength in football and
travel between them required three
weeks by boat. The decision to hold
the first World Cup in Uruguay, for
example, led to only four European
nations competing. The next two
World Cups were both held in
Europe. The decision to hold the
second of these in France was
disputed, as the South American
countries understood that the location
would alternate between the two
continents. Both Argentina and
Uruguay thus boycotted the 1938
FIFA World Cup
Since the 1958 FIFA World Cup, to
avoid future boycotts or controversy,
FIFA began a pattern of alternating
the hosts between the Americas and
Europe, which continued until the
1998 FIFA World Cup. The 2002
FIFA World Cup, hosted jointly by
South Korea and Japan, was the first
one held in Asia, and the first
tournament with multiple hosts.
South Africa became the first African
nation to host the World Cup in 2010.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was
hosted by Brazil, the first held in
South America is Argentina in 1978,
and was the first occasion where
consecutive World Cups were held
outside Europe.
The host country is now chosen in a vote by
FIFA's Council. This is done under an
exhaustive ballot system. The national
football association of a country desiring to
host the event receives a "Hosting
Agreement" from FIFA, which explains the
steps and requirements that are expected
from a strong bid. The bidding association
also receives a form, the submission of
which represents the official confirmation
of the candidacy. After this, a FIFA-
designated group of inspectors visit the
country to identify that the country meets
the requirements needed to host the event
and a report on the country is produced.
The decision on who will host the World
Cup is usually made six or seven years in
advance of the tournament.
There have been occasions where the hosts of
multiple future tournaments were announced at
the same time, as was the case for the 2018 and
2022 World Cups, which were awarded to Russia
and Qatar, with Qatar becoming the first Middle
Eastern country to host the tournament.
For the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, the final
tournament is rotated between confederations,
allowing only countries from the chosen
confederation (Africa in 2010, South America
in 2014) to bid to host the tournament. The
rotation policy was introduced after the
controversy surrounding Germany's victory
over South Africa in the vote to host the 2006
tournament. However, the policy of
continental rotation did not continue beyond
2014, so any country, except those belonging
to confederations that hosted the two
preceding tournaments, can apply as hosts for
World Cups starting from 2018.
This is partly to avoid a similar
scenario to the bidding process for
the 2014 tournament, where Brazil
was the only official bidder.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup was
chosen to be held in the United
States, Canada and Mexico, marking
the first time a World Cup has been
shared by three host nations.[84] The
2026 tournament will be the biggest
World Cup ever held, with 48 teams
playing 80 matches. Sixty matches
will take place in the US, including
all matches from the quarter-finals
onward, while Canada and Mexico
will host 10 games each.
Interview with Neymar Jr.: “I hope I’ll
make the Parisians even happier”
The gods of football, who surely reside in Brazil Five years later, Neymar Jr. is still here,

for part of the year, have undoubtedly all been

watching over Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior’s
clearly happy to be part of the team’s project.
The PSG may be flying high at the top of
cradle, known as Neymar Jr., to make him the Ligue 1 and racking up titles, but the goal that
new football prodigy. At the age of five, his all PSG fans dream of has yet to be achieved –
exceptional talent had already been noticed. winning the Champions League. A star among
After signing his first professional contract with stars, the Brazilian striker could have grown
Santos, the club in which king Pelé himself tired and bored of football. But his love for
played, he became part of the mythical trio of the game does not fade away. “Football is my
strikers of the FC Barcelona, the famous “MSN” passion. Every time I go out on the pitch, I
– Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Neymar Jr. – from feel happy to do what I love the most in this
2013 onwards. As if football was his mother world,” he explains. “I have had five years of
tongue, Neymar Jr. combines exceptional work, of good times, and of victories with the
dribbling skills, a good sense of striking, an PSG. I still have more titles to win, and I hope
unstoppable technique and agility with the ball at I will make the Parisians even happier.”
his feet. When he signed for the Paris Saint-
Germain in 2017, his fans couldn’t believe that
such a talent would fly the Parisian flag. “In
Brazil, we often joke about how children are
born with a ball at their feet, or how their
parents have already picked a team for them,”
comments the stellar player. “But it’s not much
different here in France. Fans are in love with
football, and stadiums are always full. As for
PSG fans, they are fanatics of the club. They
send an incredible energy to the players that
helps us fight until the last minute of the match.”
Footballers being stalked and scrutinized from
every angle is no secret. They are constantly
evolving under the public eye. So, taking care
of their look is almost a formal requirement
and often a pleasure gladly displayed on
Instagram. “I have always liked to show my
personality through what I wear,” he
explains. “Paris exudes fashion, and I feel
privileged to be able to live in a city that is a
real reference in the field and is also
becoming a reference in the world of
football.” The player has often been spotted
sitting in the front row of the Balmain fashion
show – and also riding in his sedan chased by
a madding crowd of fans shouting their love
for him. Loyal to the fashion house, the PSG
star striker has bonded with artistic director
Olivier Rousteing over the years and never
missed greeting him backstage. “I have a
huge admiration for Olivier’s story and talent.
He has a beautiful personality, it is obvious
that he loves what he does, and the love of the
audience rewards the quality of his work.”
Brazil remains engraved in his heart. With the
Seleção, the national team, Neymar Jr. is
about to play his third World Cup, eager and
proud to wear the yellow, green, and blue
jersey once again. With Instituto Projeto
Neymar Jr., the social project he started in
2014, he helps underprivilege people in his
home country. “It is a source of pride for me
and my family. We offer children and families
better opportunities. I grew up in the
neighborhood where we built the Institute,
and I’m really glad that, through football, we
can offer young people a place to study, play
sports, take care of their health and dream of
a future profession.”
FIFA World Cup 2022 Word Puzzle

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