Top five matches of the 2022 FIFA World Cup

The 2022 FIFA World Cup brought with it countless surprises and incredible encounters, including the five unforgettable matches found below.

Argentina fans cheer on their nation at the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Argentina fans cheer on their nation at the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Catch-up on all the action from the FIFA World Cup 2022 with highlights, mini matches and full replays now on the 

Germany 1-2 Japan

Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan opened the scoring with a penalty 12 minutes out from half-time, while forward Kai Havertz had a goal ruled out for offside in the final minutes of the opening half.

Die Mannschaft dominated possession and had a colossal 26 attempts on goal, including nine on target, but a heroic performance from Japanese goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda kept the Germans at bay for the remainder of the match.

The shot-stopper's heroics paved the way for the Samurai Blue's late comeback, as Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano struck back within eight minutes of each other to secure an unforgettable victory.

Portugal 3-2 Ghana

Cristiano Ronaldo made history by becoming the first player to score in five World Cup campaigns after opening the scoring from the penalty spot.

Ghana's Andre Ayew equalised with a tap-in from an incisive team move in the 73rd minute, but Portugal quickly responded on the counter through João Felix and Rafael Leao.

Osman Bukari made things interesting with one minute remaining in regulation time, but, despite a late scare with Iñaki Williams stealing the ball off Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa, Fernando Santos' side were able to hang on.

Cameroon 3-3 Serbia

Jean-Charles Castelletto opened the scoring following a well-worked corner routine on the half-hour mark, but Cameroon’s delight quickly turned to dismay at the end of added time.

Strahinja Pavlovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic struck two minutes apart to turn the balance in Serbia’s favour, and their advantage only grew in the second half through Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Mitrovic’s effort had many believing Serbia’s day was done, though the match still had one more telling twist following the introduction of Vincent Aboubakar in the 55th minute.

Aboubakar beat the offside trap, his defender and Vanja Milinkovic-Savic to halve the deficit, and, three minutes later, he set up Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting for the all-important equaliser.

Netherlands 2-2 Argentina (3-4 on penalties)

La Albiceleste were in complete control for much of the contest and jumped out to a 2-0 lead courtesy of goals from Nahuel Molina and Lionel Messi.

The final 10 minutes of regulation offered up something entirely different, however, with substitute Wout Weghorst snatching a late Dutch double, including one in the 11th minute of stoppage time.

Extra-time could not separate the two sides from then on, before Lautaro Martinez dispatched the winning spot-kick to secure his nation a vital victory in a heated affair.

Argentina 3-3 France (4-2 on penalties)

Lionel Messi, as he so often has in Qatar, gave his nation the lead midway through the first half, expertly slotting his penalty following Ousmane Dembele’s foul on Angel Di Maria.

Di Maria was at the heart of several moves in a first half dominated by the South Americans, and the 34-year-old quickly doubled their advantage after a well-worked counter-attack.

Didier Deschamps hoped to instil some confidence in his side following the restart, but it wasn’t until the 80th minute that the tide began to turn.

Kylian Mbappe produced two goals in less than two minutes to bring Les Bleus level and leave La Albiceleste stunned ahead of extra-time.

A dramatic additional period ensued, where both Messi and Mbappe again traded goals to send an unforgettable encounter to penalties.

From there, Emiliano Martinez made his mark with a save to deny Kingsley Coman, before forcing Aurelien Tchouameni wide, and setting up Gonzalo Montiel to convert the winner.

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4 min read
Published 22 December 2022 2:50pm
By SBS Sport
Source: SBS


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