The FIFA World Cup returned four years after it was last held in Russia. The tournament took place in Qatar this year. The World Cup trophy is a trophy that many big stars like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kylian Mbappé need to crown a stellar career. Players around the world looked to take on the big stage and deliver captivating and key performances for their nations.

Round of 16

The first two games of the knockout stage began on Dec. 3 with a young USA team taking on the Netherlands. The Netherlands would win 3-1, eliminating the USA, with a strong performance from their wingback, Denzel Dumfries. The second game of the day matched up a favored Argentina team against an inexperienced Australian team. With Lionel Messi netting a goal early on, Argentina would go through with a tough 2-1 win against the Aussies. 

On Dec. 4, the previous World Cup winners, France, would take on Poland. Superstar Kylian Mbappé would score two goals, helping France to a 3-1 win. The second match of the day would include England and Sengal. England would swiftly go through with a 3-0 victory. 

On Dec. 5, Croatia and Japan would face off in a tough game, the first game of the tournament that led to penalties. The match would end 1-1 in regulation time and Croatia won on penalties 3-1. The second game would be between a favored Brazil team against South Korea. The Brazilians went on to dominate South Korea in a 4-1 victory. 

On Dec. 6, Spain would take on the dark horse, Morocco. It was a hard fought game and ended 0-0 in regulation time. This led to a penalty shootout. Morocco would shock Spain, going through on penalties 3-0. Moroccan goalie Yassine Bounou was able to save all of Spain’s penalty attempts. 

Quarter-finals

 The quarter-finals were ready, as eight nations were ready to eliminate one another to move closer to the World Cup dream. Four teams would play on Dec. 9. First, Argentina would face off against the Netherlands. Netherlands would force the game into extra time in the 90th minute, scoring a goal off a set piece to make the score 2-2. The Netherlands would lose out against Argentina in penalties, 4-3, after yet another man of the match performance from superstar Lionel Messi. The second match of the day would be Croatia against Brazil. Croatia shocked Brazil by ending extra time in a 1-1 tie. Croatia was able to score in the 117th minute, forcing the match to penalties. Croatia would prevail, winning 4-2 in penalties. 

On Dec. 10, Morocco would go against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal. Morocco would shock the world again, scraping out a 1-0 victory to move on to the semi-finals. This is the first time an African team has advanced this far into the tournament. The second game would be between France and England, where France would win 2-1. 

Semi-finals

In the semi-finals, France would face off against Morocco and Croatia would take on Argentina. France would defeat a defensive Moroccan team with a 2-0 victory, sending them to the finals once again. Croatia would lose to Argentina, in a 3-0 victory for Argentina. A stellar, two goal performance from striker Julian Alvarez, and a goal from captain Lionel Messi helped lead Argentina to the final match. 

Final

The final took place on Dec. 18 at 9 a.m. with France versus Argentina, Messi versus Mbappé and a rematch of the 2018 World Cup, where France eliminated Argentina in the round of 16. After a 3-3 score after regulation and extra time, Argentina would win 4-2 in penalties. Lionel Messi scored two goals and France’s Kylian Mbappé scored a hat-trick. Lionel Messi and Argentina would redeem themselves after losing the final back in 2014 in Brazil against Germany. Lionel Messi, the little boy from Rosario, Argentina, added the World Cup trophy to his cabinet and has certified him as the undisputed G.O.A.T.