The 2022 FIFA World Cup taking place in Qatar is off to a tremendous start with numerous dramatic matches to keep football fans on the edge of their seat. As we enter the latter stages of the tournament, let’s first take the time to recap some of the most historic moments that have taken place so far.
Relive some of the tournament’s most remarkable moments by continuing below.
Cristiano Ronaldo scores a historic World Cup goal
When Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo scored a goal in his country’s thrilling victory over Ghana, he also added another incredible record to his long list of career achievements.
With that goal, Ronaldo became the first man in the history of the World Cup to score in five separate tournaments. He is also only the second footballer ever to accomplish that feat. Brazil’s Marta Viera da Silva is the only other player to have that success at the world’s most prestigious football tournament.
Ronaldo recorded his first World Cup goal at the 2006 edition of the tournament which took place in Germany. He would score another goal in 2010 at the South Africa World Cup and followed that with another when the tournament was held in Brazil in 2014.
During the 2018 tournament in Russia, Ronaldo scored four goals total and three of those came in Portugal’s opening match against Spain.
Ronaldo is no stranger to making history on the pitch and he’s hoping to keep his success going.
Saudi Arabia shocks the world
Ask a sports fan about what they like most about athletic competition and many will tell you that its unpredictable nature is unlike anything else. Football fans got a dose of that when powerhouse Argentina squared off against Saudi Arabia.
Heading into the match, Argentina was ranked as the third-best team in the entire world. According to Olympics.com, Saudi Arabia was ranked 51st overall.
Early on, it looked like Argentina was poised to capture an easy victory over their opponents. Renowned striker Lionel Messi even gave the fans something to cheer about when he scored in the first half.
While it looked like Argentina was well on its way to a win, the players for Saudi Arabia had other ideas. The Saudi Arabia squad played inspired football in the second half scoring two goals to put the Argentinians in a compromised position.
That slim lead would prove to be enough. By the end of the match, Saudi Arabia had secured its place in World Cup history.
Stephanie Frappart makes history
Last but certainly not least, we want to remember the remarkable accomplishment of French referee Stephanie Frappart.
When Frappart refereed the match between Germany and Costa Rica, she became the first woman to do so in the history of the tournament. Frappart had previously officiated a World Cup match when she worked as the fourth official during the clash between Mexico and Poland, but the Germany-Costa Rica match was the first to have a woman as the lead referee.
Per Sky Sports, Frappart was joined by Neuza Back of Brazil and Karen Diaz Medina of Mexico on the pitch. Together, they formed the first all-female referee team for the World Cup.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has already had its share of historic moments and more are certainly coming as the tournament progresses. It’s a great time to be a football fan and we’re all eager to see how the World Cup unfolds!
