The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar produced 22 goals in the opening eight matches, with Saudi Arabia’s 2-1 win over Argentina the surprise result of the tournament so far.
The tournament kicked off with Ecuador beating the host nation Qatar 2-0, and Banyana Banyana’s all-time top goalscorer, Portia Modise, is in no doubt that there is more excitement ahead.
"I think the excitement is there, we saw a great match when Ecuador dominated and made use of their chances against Qatar,” says the former player.
“The score could have been 3-0 but Ecuador was unlucky to have one goal disallowed for offside.
“But to be honest with you, even though Ecuador played well and had a great opening match, I don’t think they will succeed against much stronger opponents.
“Argentina lost against Saudi Arabia and that was a great match as well because of the quality of the players in the Argentina team. I think Argentina players went to this tournament comfortable with being big-name players and forgot to do the job on the field, and they were punished for their mistakes. But well done to Saudi Arabia and Herve Renard for the big win.”
Defending champions France beat Australia 4-1 in Group D despite having several key players, such as Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba, and Christopher Nkunku, pull out of the tournament due to injuries. But despite France’s big win and England beating Iran 6-2, Modise believes it’s too early to predict which team will win the tournament.
“The FIFA World Cup is a big tournament and it’s too early to predict who is going to win it. In the match between France and Australia, Australia scored first and France came back with four goals and won 4-1.
“Big teams can come back from difficult situations. Even Argentina can still bounce back despite losing the first match. Portugal is also capable of going all the way and there are African teams like Cameroon and Senegal who should not be ruled out.
“I am a huge fan of Belgium and I would love to see them go all the way. They have great players and at the last tournament in Russia they reached the semi-finals, so I’m sure they will do well in the tournament.
“But it’s too early to say who will take it because football is full of surprises. African countries are there and if European countries undermine them, they will be in for a big surprise. I’m looking forward to seeing which teams will go to the last four.”
The tournament will be the fifth for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and both players are expected to rise to the occasion. Messi and Argentina reached the final in 2014 before losing to Germany, while Portugal’s quarter-final finish at the 2006 World Cup was Ronaldo’s best.
“Some players will always rise to the occasion, like Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi – those are the players that will need to bring excitement and experience to their teams. They are carrying the weight of leading their countries at the World Cup, they are used to playing on a bigger stage.
“As much as we wish for one of them to win the tournament, football is not easy. They must not put pressure on themselves because they have done a lot for football and groomed so many players. They must give it their best because not winning the World Cup will not erase all the great work they have done.”
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