FIFA’s flamboyant football fiasco has been nothing short of breath-taking so far!
When the referee’s whistle blew for the curtain-raiser, the World Cup tournament burst into explosive action, casting excitement into the hearts of soccer crowds around the planet.
Despite installed air-conditioning in every stadium, the world’s most skilful soccer stars unquestionably brought unbearable heat to the shores of Qatar.
The host nation made history in more ways than one after being eliminated from their own backyard early. In a tournament where the underdogs have proven their bites to be worse than their barks, teams like Argentina and Germany stumbled to shock defeats in their opening matches.
Luis Enrique and his special Spanish side were not as generous with three points in their first match of the tournament. The merciless 7-0 thrashing of Costa Rica was evidence of their militaristic missions in the middle east. Like La Roja, The Three Lions of England were ruthless in their World Cup opener. The malicious 6-2 mauling of Iran was reminiscent of when ‘The Pride’ pitilessly punished Panama 6-1 at Russia 2018.
As The Three Lions prepare to give The Lions of Teranga a lesson in dominance in the next round, The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon bowed out gracefully from the tournament after beating Brazil while The Atlas Lions of Morocco continue to roar! Coach Walid Regregui who masterminded the demise of Belgium’s golden generation at the group phases will be hoping to propel the national team past the round of 16.
The last African team to reach the quarterfinals of this prestigious tournament was Ghana in the 2010 edition in South Africa. The ‘ghost of Suarez’ came back to hunt The Black Stars as Atto Addo’s army suffered a 2-0 loss to Uruguay. Both teams were eventually eliminated with the likes of Wales, Canada, Mexico, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Denmark, Costa Rica, Serbia, Iran and Ecuador. Germany also headed home after embarrassingly falling at the first hurdle.
With 16 nations gone, the World Cup dream still burns brightly for 16 others.