Day 11: World Cup Superlatives

By George Zhang, Eshan Singh, Abby Chong, and Audrey Kim, Photography Editor and Staff Reporters

After a gutwrenching regulation, a nailbiting overtime, and an exhilarating penalty shootout, the Argentina National team has officially won the world cup, beating France in a match that had the world on the edge of its seat. France national team forward Kylian Mbappe played his heart out, scoring a hat trick in the finals and winning the Golden Boot.

The tournament was held in Qatar and featured 32 teams from around the globe. Originally planned to be held in the summer, the event was postponed until November due to extremely hot weather. 

There were many interesting narratives coming into this World Cup, the most notable being the battle between generational greats Lionel Messi, Christiano Ronaldo, and Neymar Jr. The three players have been touted as some of the greatest players in the modern era, despite not having won the World Cup before. With their age slowly catching up to them, many believe that this tournament was their last chance to win it all and solidify their legacies. 

Other interesting stories surrounding the World Cup include the controversies behind the construction of the stadiums and the battle between world cup theme songs.

Check out a few superlatives below!

What team exceeded your expectations the most?

“Definitely Morocco. When I was doing my predictions, I didn’t think they would’ve gotten out of the group to be honest. Getting to the semi-finals is actually absurd for a country that size.” – Jack Block ‘24

What was the most shocking result?

“It definitely had to be Saudi Arabia vs Argentina. Argentina were one of the favorites to win the tournament heading into the first match of the group stage, and they had a fairly comfortable 1-0 lead going into halftime. However, Saudi Arabia scored two goals out of no where. Argentina began playing with urgency, but ultimately wasn’t able to execute and find the game tying goal. This was one of the early morning games, and I remember waking up and being unable to believe the result. It put a lot of pressure on Argentina to win the final two games after losing their first to one of the under-skilled teams in the tournament, setting up a great finish for group C.” – Zach Sheeran ‘24

“I think it was when Morocco beat Spain. Spain’s a great team, the first game I think they won 7-0 so when you play Morocco you don’t expect it from them so when they went out there and beat them, that was absurd.” – Jack Block ‘24

What team disappointed the most?

“ I think Uruguay was an upset, considering their all around strength. They didn’t make it out of the group stage, which was a disappointment.” – Sydney Schwartz ‘25

“I think Brazil could’ve done better. They have starting players for a lot of the top 20 clubs, they have a loot of potential, their team gets along well and they seem to be a cohesive team. Maybe it’s just a bad game but they did not do as well against Morocco as they could have.” – Sej Kaushik ‘23

What was your favorite moment?

“When the final whistle blew between Morocco and Portugal. you could see the emotions on both sides. The Moroccan players and fans, with joy on their faces, were the first African team ever to make the semi finals. For Ronaldo, which was most likely his last World Cup, was in tears walking into the locker room. It shows how powerful the World Cup can be, how there are always two stories of emotions at the end of the game.” – Zach Sheeran ‘24

“Probably the Argentina Netherlands game because it was probably the most intense game I’ve ever seen in my life. I don’t remember seeing like that intense of a game especially because it wasn’t just the fact that the Netherlands has come back in the last 10 minutes, but also the fighting that was going on. I just felt like that there was a rivalry going on that was super intense and bled through the end.” – Sej Kaushik ‘23