The four days of the round of 16 provided the World Cup in Qatar with everything.
Wonderful games, big goals, shining stars, huge stories and also the necessary Cinderella.
Towards the quarter finals, Dor Hoffman makes eighths and summarizes the phase that ended and unfortunately he brought with him two days off.
the impressive
When the final whistle blew for the first half in the meeting between Brazil and South Korea, it seemed that the discussion could be closed: there would be nothing impressive from what Chicha's group did.
Exchanges of passes, brilliant touches, spectacular goals, exciting dances, 0:4 that touched perfection.
But then exactly 24 hours passed and the little sister, the Selceau from Portugal, reopened the discussion.
For her, it was the entire 90 minutes against Switzerland that were particularly impressive.
90 minutes that started with Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench and highlighted the tremendous quality that exists without him.
His replacement Gonzalo Ramos celebrated a hat-trick in a knockout, Bruno navigated, Joao Felix floated as if he had been given wings and even the 39-year-old Pepe was a direct participant in the celebration.
The disappointing one.
If you put together Spain's last two round of 16 matches in the World Cup, this one against Morocco here in Qatar and this one against Russia four years ago, you find that in these two games they delivered over 2000 passes in 240 minutes and failed to put the ball in the net.
Two different coaches, dozens of players, and nothing to settle.
Although everyone shares in this impotence, the culprit this time is exclusive: Luis Enrique.
Beyond problematic calls, the lineup that raises questions, incorrect substitutions, etc., he left a feeling that this World Cup didn't really interest him.
Not only statements "winning is not important to me", but excessive involvement in social networks and creating headlines.
From a team that started the tournament with seven, Spain said goodbye to it without being able to score a goal in any way.
Spain players.
How much can you move a ball?, Photo: Getty Images
the player
Gonzalo Ramos stepped into the biggest shoes that exist in Portugal and Eitan amazed and scored a hat trick against Switzerland which earns him this title for all official reasons.
But the unofficial outstanding title of the round of 16, or badge of honor if you will, is won by Kylian Mbappe.
It is impossible not to refer to this French monster who, in two polished operations at the diamond level, sealed France's victory over Poland.
It is detached from connotation.
It does not matter if he is good or bad, if France dominates or defends, or is always capable of everything.
In the round of 16 it came in the form of two spells, now we have to wait and see what he will pull out in the quarter finals.
the goal
There are several ways to score a beautiful goal, and two of those ways were presented in this World Cup by Risherlison.
The first, alone.
Jump on one leg and bomb half a scissors into the net as he did against Serbia.
The second, together.
Dounce three times and then move into the box to receive a well-timed ball from Thiago Silva and roll in against South Korea.
Richarlison scores against South Korea.
knows how to do everything, photo: E.P
the story
The surprising group stage arranged a round of 16 with high sensational potential, but in the end only one surprise remained.
Morocco, largely the new hosts of this tournament, turned Doha into Casablanca and used the crowd's push to oust Spain and qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time in history.
It is not clear how the electricity system works here in Qatar, but you can believe that all this time there was a button that said: "Click here in case Morocco wins".
Immediately after the final whistle, every building and every pillar in the city was lit up in the colors of the Moroccan flag.
Crowds took to the streets and sirens of joy were heard in the streets until the wee hours of the night.
The victory of Morocco is the victory of the Arab world and when this happens in the first Arab World Cup, unrestrained celebration is created.
A Moroccan fan yesterday in Qatar, photo: AP
the audience.
There is no criticism or complaint here, but the audience here in Qatar - for the most part - is not authentic.
Everyone loves football, even crazy about the game, but they are not from the country of origin of the players who play on the grass.
It's like that in almost every game - except those of Argentina.
The South Americans, in their own special ways, have also made Qatar 2022 a national mission.
About 35,000 fans who seem to have just been pulled from the stands of the Bombonera and the Monumental in Buenos Aires turn every game of the national team into a show of encouragement, and it was the same against Australia.
The song "Muchachos", a work of art written in honor of the event, became the soundtrack of her games.
Long minutes after the 1:2 victory, everyone remained in the seats and sang along with the players, creating an authenticity that was missing.
Argentina fans celebrate with the players, photo: AP
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