Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the World Cup group C soccer match between Argentina and Mexico. Photo / AP
Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the World Cup group C soccer match between Argentina and Mexico. Photo / AP
NZME’s world-renowned football blog Goalmouth Scramble is back. Our rotating stable of football writers will offer daily hot takes on all the action from the World Cup in Qatar. Today, Steve Holloway makes ten observations from the first week of the tournament.
OPINION:
Messi magic
There’s a segment on thePeter Crouch podcast where Crouchy said he loses a bit of respect for people who don’t choose Messi in the Ronaldo v Messi debate. Crouch argues that ‘football people’ know the truth... and I totally agree. Scoring a stunning winning goal in an incredibly tense, ugly, crucial 2-0 win over Mexico this morning was just the latest chapter in a career that will go down as the best of all time.
Lionel Messi celebrates at the last World Cup. Photo / Photosport
Danny Hay’s All Whites were proud of being ‘the better team’ against Costa Rica, despite losing their World Cup qualifier 1-0 in June. But did Costa Rica’s 7-0 drubbing by Spain put into perspective what we really witnessed amidst heartbreak? Costa Rica managed 0 shots on goal across 90 minutes and had just 18% of possession. Spain are obviously one of the best teams in the world, and their 1043 passes to Costa Rica’s 231 amplified the ‘levels’ there are to football. But it makes you wonder if the All Whites should have done better..
Marking Mbappe
Imagine being Australian right-back Nathaniel Atkinson in the Socceroos World Cup opener against France. The 23-year old plies his trade for Hearts, located in the middle of the Scottish Premiership, but last week had the toughest assignment in world football; marking Kylian Mbappe. The French game plan was to get the ball to Mbappe and isolate him one v one against Atkinson. Terrifying. Mbappe’s pace is one of the greatest attractions of the modern game. And of course France went on to win 4-1.
France's Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his side's opening goal against Denmark during a World Cup group D soccer match at the Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Upsets
Saudi Arabia coming from one goal down to beat Argentina 2-1 will go down as one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history. And Japan’s win over Germany was the greatest moment in their footballing history. These shock results are what makes the football World Cup purr. And also terrible to bet on.
History repeating?
Who remembers Spain in 2010? They entered the tournament as favourites, lost their first game to Switzerland 1-0, then went on to win the tournament. Argentina has that potential.
Argentina fans watch their team lose to Saudi Arabia. Photo / AP
Watching with kids
This is the first World Cup I’ve been able to enjoy with my kids, and the 8am kickoff time is creating some magic moments. My boys (4 and 6) get to watch 30 mins of action before ‘transforming’ into Neymar, Mbappe, Ronaldo (or weirdly Tyler Adams from the USA) and bouncing off to school. I remember getting swept away in the magic of the World Cup and it’s fun to see the game can still cast a spell.
There have been some mouth-watering matchups in these group stages, but the next edition will become a lot more diluted. Eight groups of four will become 16 groups of three in 2026, and the quality will suffer as a result.
Aussie emotion
One of the most entertaining visuals of this World Cup has been the footage of the fans celebrating in their respective countries. Through social media I was transported into homes in Saudi Arabia, town squares in Melbourne and restaurants in Japan to see punters emit pure joy and unbridled passion as their team scored a goal on the biggest stage. Hook that up to my veins.
Australia's Craig Goodwin, left, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup group D soccer match between France and Australia, at the Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
England’s problem
It seems incredibly unfair that Harry Maguire gets to play every game for England while probably their most talented player sits on the bench. Phil Foden is a superstar, and England need to find a way to build their team around him. The argument that he doesn’t ‘fit’ their style or formation is a poor one. Change it. He’s the player that can unlock defences, inspire and dazzle. It’s time for Gareth Southgate to take the hand-break off. Take some risks.
FIFA uncovered
The four-part FIFA Uncovered documentary on Netflix is essential viewing for those interested in the backdrop of the tournament. The corruption, deceit and money-grabbing across decades is tough to stomach. But it paints a very clear picture of why this tournament is in Qatar.
