The best moments of the 2022 Qatar World Cup (so far)

Joy, emotion, surprise, exciting goals, unmatched passes, unimaginable skill and incredible saves have been on display. There are many incredible moments that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has left us so far. We have also lived through tense moments, nerves and heartbreak for each of the teams that have been eliminated. In fact, FIFA president Gianni Infantino stated that this was the best World Cup group stage ever played and praised the 32 teams that have competed in this tournament:

After Tuesday's match between Portugal and Switzerland, which closed the round of 16, fans have enjoyed 56 matches and 148 goals, 155 if we count the goals scored in the two penalty shootouts. That is an average of almost three goals per game. In 11 games, we have seen at least five goals.

The tournament kicked off in style. The opening ceremony was a spectacle of lights, fireworks and live performances. There were even surprises such as the appearance of mascots from previous World Cups, and actor Morgan Freeman delivered a message. "We all have a soccer story, and so does Qatar," the actor told the 60,000 spectators at the Al Bayt Stadium at the opening of the tournament.

It's difficult to choose the best moment or play of the World Cup between all the goals, spectacular dribble moves or the joy of the players who helped their teams advance. Here is Voz Media's list of the 10 best moments of the tournament so far.

The goals of the World Cup

These 56 matches that have been played so far have left us with great goals that have led to victories and stamped tickets into the next round.

Enzo Fernandez, Luis Chavez, Vincent Aboubakar, Marcus Rashford and Richarlison were some of the great goal scorers we witnessed in the group stage and the round of 16.

Three dominant performances to remember

In the second match of the World Cup, England gave Iran no chance and won 6-2 with a soccer masterclass from "the Three Lions."

On the other hand, Spain started the World Cup as well as they possibly could have, beating Costa Rica 7-0. Unfortunately for "La Roja," it appears they peaked too early, having lost their last two matches including their elimination in the round of 16 against Morocco.

Portugal qualified for the quarterfinals in dominant fashion against a formidable Switzerland aside. The Portuguese team won 6-1 in a wire-to-wire blowout. The margin of victory could have been even greater, as the referee disallowed a goal to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cinderella stories

"There are no more small teams and no more big teams," Infantino said, and this has so far held true. During the group stage, we saw how these "small" teams dominated and beat traditional powerhouses with world-class players.

Matches like Japan's 2-1 victory over Germany, Morocco's upset wins against Belgium (2-0), Tunisia's upset over France (1-0), and Cameroon's 1-0 defeat of Brazil back up the FIFA president's opinion.

"The Atlas Lions," the big surprise

As in any tournament, there always has to be a surprise team. This year's big surprise is Morocco, who have not lost a single match and, against all odds, will be playing in their first-ever quarterfinals.

They finished first in the group stage, ahead of teams such as Belgium and Croatia - semifinalists and runners-up, respectively, at the Russia 2018 World Cup. In the round of 16, they eliminated Spain, one of the favorites to win the tournament, in a penalty shootout.

Brazil and the return of the 'jogo bonito'

The "Canarinha" was, is and will always be amongst the favorites to win the World Cup. However, this year may be something different. Brazil did not have a high-scoring group stage (only three goals total), but on Monday, they proved themselves as one of the top teams in the world.

The generation of players that Brazil has brought to this edition of the World Cup is reminiscent of the team that won Brazil its fifth World Cup title 20 years ago, with players such as Ronaldo Nazario, Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos, Kaká and Rivaldo.

Since then, Brazil have failed to finish higher than fourth at a World Cup. This year, however, the Brazilians may have to make room for the sixth star on their shield.

Tribute to Pelé

In one of the images of the World Cup so far, Brazilian players paid a nice tribute to Pelé after beating Switzerland. The Brazilian soccer icon is in a delicate state of health due to his recent cancer diagnosis.

The Brazilian players brought a banner with a photo of "O Rei" as a symbol of support for the legend and his family.

Japan's surprise run

Hajime Moriyasu, Japan's head coach, showed his respect and appreciation for the Japanese fans with a bow to the crowd after being knocked out by Croatia in the round of 16, a match they lost in a penalty shootout.

Japanese spectators also showed a grand display of dignity. While watching their team's victory over Germany in the group stage, they picked up trash from the stands at the conclusion of the match.

Fair play

In the 56 matches played so far in the World Cup in Qatar, there have only been two red cards. One of them was the result of a second yellow card given to Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon) for taking off his shirt while celebrating a goal.

There have also been 179 yellow cards, an average of fewer than six per team in at least three matches played. Only Saudi Arabia and Serbia were given more than 10 yellow cards. On the other hand, England is the only team whose players have not received a single yellow card.

New video assistant referee

The ever-controversial video assistant referee (VAR) has continued to evolve. This tool, which makes it easier for referees to review controversial plays such as possible offside or disallowed goals, has changed greatly since its conception. It now consists of artificial intelligence and chips placed inside the ball which enable referees to make more accurate decisions.

Images of play are recreated in 3D format and viewers can see them in detail from their televisions.

Time added

Another notable theme in this World Cup is the amount of stoppage time added by the referees after the 90 minutes conclude. The reason is simple: FIFA has ordered the referees of each match to calculate the exact time the ball has not been in play, whereas before it was more of a rough estimate. For this reason, these matches have seen far more added time.

A striking case was the match between England and Iran in the group stage, in which a total of 27 minutes were added in both halves.

BONUS: Who has been the player of the tournament so far?

This is a difficult question to answer. Going by the number of goals, one would have to say Kylian Mbappé, who leads the tournament with five goals. There are other players, such as Leo Messi, Richarlison or Bruno Fernandes who have also given fans a great show.

At the Russia 2018 World Cup, FIFA named Luka Modrić as the best player of the tournament. Who will it be in this edition? We leave this question for you to answer.