Yesterday, Sunday, the curtain fell on the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup, which Qatar hosted, from November 20 to December 18.
Argentina won the World Cup for the third time in its history, after the 1978 and 1986 editions, after its 4-2 victory over France on penalties, in the final match of the competition, after they tied 2-2 in normal time and then 3-3 in extra time.
And the official website of the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) stated - today, Monday - that the Argentine national team lifted the World Cup - finally - after an absence of 36 years at the delightful Lusail Stadium, in front of 88,966 spectators, to write the final word on an unprecedented epic tournament that will remain immortal in the minds of all. And the hearts of fans of the round witch in the world.
Summary of the final match Argentina and France |
Lionel Messi's Argentina wins the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ #Qatar2022 |
#World_Cup_Qatar_2022 |
#Argentina_France #WorldCupQatar2022 |
#Qatar2022 |
#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/PigC07yAL2
- beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) December 18, 2022
Goals and dramatic surprises galore
FIFA stressed that the 2022 World Cup, which took place for the first time in the Arab world, was marked by an abundance of goals, dramatic surprises, and performances that changed the old legacy.
FIFA pointed out that the final match between defending champions France and an inspiring Argentina - which was supported by a huge contingent of enthusiastic supporters - was a confrontation between the two stars of the tournament: Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.
Messi played a starring role in dedicating the title to his country, after he contributed 10 goals out of a total of 15 goals scored by the team throughout his career in that version, by scoring 7 goals and making 3 assists to his colleagues, to be crowned the best player in the competition with merit and merit, and becomes the first player to win that. The award twice, which began to appear since the 1982 edition, after he had previously won it in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
And the Argentine national team ended the second largest period of fasting from winning the World Cup again, after Italy, which took 44 years between 1938 and 1982 to return again to the podiums of the World Cup.
Tonight, Messi is the groom in the Qatari Bisht 🇶🇦🙋 ♂️ # Qatar 2022 |
#World_Cup_Qatar_2022 |
#Argentina_France #WorldCupQatar2022 |
#Qatar2022 |
#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/iuYVdFmfD8
- beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) December 18, 2022
FIFA shed light on 10 unique facts and figures from that "wonderful" version of the World Cup;
Which:
Messi, captain of the Argentine national team, lifted the World Cup for the first time in his football career, after achieving a record number of his participation in the World Cup matches (26 matches) throughout his career in the tournament that began in 2006, and he was crowned the best player in the past competition.
Mbappe became the second player in the history of the World Cup to score a hat-trick in the final match, after England's Geoff Horst against West Germany, in the final of the 1966 edition, noting that he scored a penalty shootout with nerves of iron, to be the tournament's top scorer with 8 goals, and win the (Golden Boot) award. And become the best scorer in the tournament.
Mbappe's volley shot, which scored the equalizer 2-2 in the second half, reached a speed of 123.34 km/h, becoming the most powerful scoring shot in the tournament.
Crazy scenario!
Mbappe adjusts the cuff (2-2) # Qatar 2022 |
#World_Cup_Qatar_2022 |
#Argentina_France #WorldCupQatar2022 |
#Qatar2022 |
#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/2GqiwVCVPP
- beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) December 18, 2022
Scoring 6 goals in the final match made the World Cup the highest ever in terms of the number of goals scored, with a total of 172 goals scored in the tournament, breaking the previous record of 171 goals, which was achieved in 1998 and 2014. .
The massive attendance for the Final brought the cumulative total of spectators for that edition of the World Cup to more than 3.4 million, with an average overall attendance of 96.3% of stadium capacity.
More than a million visitors traveled to Qatar to watch the matches from the stands, and the first countries from which the spectators came were: Saudi Arabia, India, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Mexico.
More than 1.8 million fans enjoyed live streaming of games and vibrant entertainment at the FIFA Fan Fest, at Al Bidda Park in the Qatari capital, Doha.
The first World Cup in the Middle East exposed the world to the local culture and demonstrated the region's passion for football.
For the first time ever, countries from 5 different continents qualified for the knockout stage, and Morocco became the first Arab and African country to reach the semi-finals.
A record 420,000 applications to volunteer for the tournament were received, while 20,000 applicants, including 3,000 international volunteers from 150 different countries, were selected to help support all aspects of the tournament.
