Here are the top eight moments from the Round of 16 stage in the Fifa World Cup 2022 Qatar, including epic team glories and individual flashes of brilliance:
Return of Jogo Bonito?
Brazil, always in the running to win the World Cup, brought the “Jogo Bonito” back when they danced past Korea Republic 4-1 to set their quarter-final date with current runners-up Croatia. In the late 1970s, Pele - who is one of the forerunners to make football a global phenomenon - popularized the Portuguese phrase “Joga Bonito” which means “The Beautiful Game”. Neymar and Co paid rich tribute to the three-time World Cup winner not only by holding a banner at the end of the game, but also with some fascinating play, especially in the first half to score four past hapless Koreans.
Messi breaks knockout duck in 1,000th game
In his 1,000th game for club and country, Lionel Messi came up with the goods once again against Australia. His fine finish not only broke the deadlock but gave him his first knockout phase goal in five editions. With nine World Cup goals so far, including three in Qatar, Leo has already surpassed Diego Maradona's tally (eight) and is one short of the Argentina record held by Gabriel Batistuta.
Mbappe leapfrogs Pele
Poland were no match for Les Bleus for whom Kylian Mbappe starred with a brace after Olivier Giroud's opener. The Mbappe storm has struck the Qatari deserts as he leads the Golden Boot race with five goals and two assists, and France, with nine goals, have largely been dependent on Mbappe. With nine World Cup goals before turning 24, including five in the knockout stage, Mbappe has bettered the legendary Pele (eight).
Ronaldo benched, Ramos emulates Klose
For the first time since the 2008 Euros, Cristiano Ronaldo was only named in the bench as Fernando Santos went with the youthful exuberance of 21-year old Goncalo Ramos, who duly repaid his coach's faith with the Arab World Cup's first hat-trick. Ramos thus became the first player to score on World Cup debut since Germany's Miroslav Klose in 2002 Japan/Korea. The Benfica lad took only 17 minutes to do something that Ronaldo has never been able to achieve – score a knockout goal.
Morocco's maiden quarter berth
The Atlas Lions advanced to the last eight for the first time in history following their epic shootout win over the Spaniards. Canadian-born goalkeeper Yassine “Bono” Bounou was the hero with two saves from Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets. While Achraf Hakimi, playing against the country of his birth, buried his penalty in astounding fashion, with a Panenka, to spark wild celebrations.
Free-scoring, versatile England
It bodes well for England that they have had eight different goal-scorers so far; Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane the latest entrants against Senegal. The Three Lions lead the way in the tournament with 12 goals scored, and this is also their most prolific campaign in history, alongside Russia 2018. But against two-time champions France, England will face the biggest test of their title credentials yet.
Pepe, the oldest knockout stage scorer
Pepe (39 years, 283 days) is the second oldest player to score at the World Cup after Cameroon's Roger Milla (42 years, 39 days) against Russia in 1994. The former Real Madrid defender is also the oldest scorer in the knockout stage. Pepe lends much needed experience at the back alongside the excellent Ruben Dias, and can be extremely handy in corners at the opposition half, as showed against Switzerland.
Giroud at French summit
Giroud opened the scoring against the Poles and thus became France's all-time top-scorer with 52 goals, overtaking Thierry Henry. The AC Milan forward had earlier equaled Henry in the group stage, as he alongside the young Mbappe wrecked havoc on the opponents. His link up play with the Paris Saint Germain attacker will be crucial for France's hopes when they face England in the last eight.
