We’re one full week of action into the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and already, there’s been an entire tournament’s worth of talking points both on and off the field.
On the pitch, the likes of Spain, England, France and Saudi Arabia have impressed with notable wins, while Argentina (who lost to the Saudis), Germany (who were stunned by Japan) and Wales have all struggled to make an impact.
We’ve had FIFA U-turns and issues with protests against the hosts, we’ve had more 0-0 draws than we saw in the entirety of Russia 2018, and there are some new stars making their mark on the sport’s biggest stage.
ESPN’s reporters in Qatar discuss their talking points and best/worst moments of the opening week both on and off the field, based on games they’ve attended so far.
– World Cup 2022: News and features | Schedule
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
Best on-field moment of week one?
Rob Dawson: Saudi Arabia arrived in Qatar as the second lowest ranked team at the World Cup, gave Argentina and Lionel Messi a 1-0 headstart and still came back to win 2-1. How do you top a moment like that?
Gab Marcotti: Takuma Asano‘s strike past Manuel Neuer that sent Japan to a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Germany. It came moments after Japan’s equaliser and it turned the game — and the story — on its head.
Mark Ogden: Richarlison‘s second goal for Brazil against Serbia. The Tottenham forward is almost the forgotten man in Brazil’s front three alongside Neymar and Vinicius Junior, but he claimed the spotlight for himself by not only winning the game for the World Cup favourites, but his scissor-kick goal was the best of the tournament so far.
James Olley: Bukayo Saka‘s brace for England in the 6-2 win against Iran. Saka was racially abused after missing a penalty in last year’s shootout against Italy and 498 days later, the Arsenal star scored twice on Monday. It wasn’t quite redemption — that will hopefully come later in the competition — but his first tournament appearance since that Wembley trauma was immensely satisfying.
Tom Hamilton: The sight of seeing Christian Eriksen back on the pitch for Denmark in a major tournament. It was closely followed by Breel Embolo‘s finish in the 1-0 win against Cameroon, which ended my personal drought of two-and-a-half games without seeing a goal.
Julien Laurens: To see Olivier Giroud equal Thierry Henry’s goal scoring record for France (51 in 115 caps) was a special moment. I’ve known Olivier for 10 years, we are friends and he deserves so much credit for his incredible career. No one believed him when he was younger but he never gave up. He kept working hard, kept believing in himself and made it all the way to the very top. Respect.
Jeff Carlisle: It would have to be Tim Weah’s goal in the 1-1 draw against Wales, one of the few times that the United States capitalized on a transition moment. Such a deft finish, too.
Sam Borden: Weah’s goal for the US is hard to top, but I’ll go a little more global and highlight the emotion from the Tunisia players — and their incredible fans — during the national anthem ahead of their first match, which was a 0-0 draw with Denmark. One of the best parts of this tournament being in Qatar is seeing the African and Asian teams play in front of some fantastic support.
Kyle Bonagura: Weah’s goal was a beautiful sequence from the US, but let’s remember how unique that moment was: The son of a current head of state (Liberia), and the only African to win the Ballon d’Or (George Weah), scored at a World Cup while representing another country.
