GOAL is celebrating 22 football moments that have never happened before on the World’s biggest stage as they keep taking place in Qatar
The Qatar 2022 World Cup is special for so many different reasons. It's the first to be played in the Middle East. It's the first to be played during November and December. It's the first in nearly 100 years to have most of the stadiums in one city. And for a number of players & teams it will be the World Cup where they do something that's never been done before. From fearless football feats to fancy footwork, record breakers to break through players, if a World Cup first happens on the pitch, this is the first place you'll hear about it.
Getty1First player born in the 21st century to score at a World Cup
Jude Bellingham hadn't even made his Championship debut when the 2018 World Cup kicked off in Russia. And four years later, Borussia Dortmund's golden boy became the FIRST player ever born in the 21st century to have scored at the World Cup with a towering header in the 35th minute against Iran on Monday at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Bellingham had a perfect first half where he not only found the net but also completed all his 40 passes. He is being touted as a generational talent and after shining in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League earlier this season he proved his mettle on the grandest stage of international football.
But the midfielder thought that he had missed the target after latching on to Luke Shaw's cross, beating defender Hossein Hosseini in the air.
"I thought it had missed, as it took ages to loop into the goal but it was a brilliant ball from [Luke] Shaw and I just had to flick it away," he later said to England Football.
Bellingham showed that, despite being just 19, he belongs to Europe's elite and is a perfect example of a modern central midfielder who adds dynamism and creativity at the same time.
Travelling English fans showered love on Bellingham by singing 'Hey Jude' and it won't be surprising if the chorus grows bigger and louder with each passing game.
AdvertisementGetty Images2First Saudi Arabian ever to have scored back-to-back winners at the World Cup
Cometh the hour, cometh the man! Salem Al Dawsari has a knack for causing upsets in the FIFA World Cup.
Four years back, on a rare sunny afternoon at the Volgograd Arena in Russia, he stole the limelight with a dramatic late injury-time winner against Egypt. And on Tuesday, he repeated his heroics against one of the favourites Argentina with another stunning solo strike that made him the first Saudi Arabian ever to have scored back-to-back winners at the World Cup.
The stage was set for Lionel Messi to shine and earn the plaudits. But Al Dawsari with his grit and determination not only stole the thunder from the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner but also inspired Saudi Arabia to arguably the biggest upset the World Cup has ever witnessed.
After picking up possession on the left-hand side of the penalty box, he dropped his shoulders to wriggle past two weak tackles, escaped a despairing lunge by Leandro Paredes, churned out a bit of space for himself and then curled the ball into the top right corner of Emiliano Martinez's net.
The celebration that followed was nothing short of unbridled euphoria and the decibel levels at the Lusail Iconic Stadium might have even rocked the skyscrapers of Riyadh.
The last three teams to beat Argentina at the World Cup either won the trophy or reached the final. See you on December 18, Saudi Arabia? Well, to make it happen Al Dawsari will have to pull a few more rabbits out of the hat.
Getty3Modric becomes first Croatian to appear in four different World Cups
Luka Modric is ageing like fine wine! Even at 37, he is indispensable to the Croatian national team and Zlatko Dalic's aspirations to lift the World Cup trophy, especially after falling short in the last lap four years back in Russia.
He made his World Cup debut back in 2006 during a group stage encounter against Japan and on Wednesday he led his country as the first Croatian to play in four different World Cups. With that, he also became the first player to play in both the European Championship and FIFA World Cup in three different decades.
Indeed, the little magician knows how to roll back the years. He is a bundle of energy on the pitch and tries to cover every single blade of grass on the pitch. His tactical awareness is beyond measure and knows exactly whether to start a quickfire counterattack or pass the ball sideways to kill the pace of the game.
However, his primary strengths are his exemplary ball control in tight spaces and extraordinary peripheral vision that helps him to slice open defences with a single through ball.
During the 2018 World Cup, Modric almost single-handedly led Croatia to the finals and was awarded the Golden Ball for his heroics. More importantly, he broke the hegemony of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo over the Ballon d'Or as he became the first midfielder since Kaka in 2007 to win the prestigious award.
Fancy Croatia's chances in Qatar? Well, Modric will definitely have a say in it.
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Getty Images4Herdman becomes first manager ever to have coached both a men's and women's team at a World Cup
John Herdman is as maverick as a football coach can be. His ingenious methods helped the Canadian women's national soccer team scale new heights, as they finished with successive bronze medals in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games respectively and also reached the last eight of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.
His success with the women's team prompted the Canadian FA to hand him the reins of the men's team in January 2018, which were going through a rough patch and had seen the back of three managers within 18 months.
On Wednesday, when Herdman took his place in the dugout for the Canadian men's team he became the first manager ever to have coached both a men's and women's team at a World Cup.
Under his tutelage, the Voyageurs not only qualified for the World Cup after a hiatus of 36 years, but also finished ahead of CONCACAF giants Mexico and United States in the qualifiers.
Herdman believes in his process and knows that if they stick to it with discipline, results are bound to follow.
To put things into perspective, when he took charge Canada were 95th in the FIFA rankings. Just over four years later they have broken into the top 50 and are currently ranked 41st.
Once a primary school teacher, Herdman, is now a man on a mission in Qatar.
“To upset some teams, I get out of bed for that.”