Historical retrospectives
Historical · 2022
The Strike That Shook the World: Salem Al-Dawsari's Wonder Goal
In one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history, Salem Al-Dawsari's spectacular curling strike secured Saudi Arabia a shocking 2-1 victory over eventual champions Argentina.
The date was November 22, 2022, and the air inside the gleaming Lusail Stadium was thick with expectation. Argentina had arrived in Qatar riding a formidable 36-match unbeaten streak, bearing the heavy mantle of tournament favorites. When Lionel Messi calmly converted a penalty in the 10th minute, the script seemed to be writing itself. Fans settled in for what was widely expected to be a routine demolition by a South American juggernaut. Instead, they were about to witness one of the most seismic upsets in the storied, century-long history of the FIFA World Cup.
The turning point arrived immediately after halftime. Saleh Al-Shehri leveled the score in the 48th minute, sending a jolt of electricity through the Saudi Arabian supporters. But it was in the 53rd minute that time truly stood still. A high ball was deflected to the left edge of the Argentine penalty area, falling to Saudi winger Salem Al-Dawsari. Surrounded by a swarm of three desperate Argentine defenders—Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes, and Nahuel Molina—Al-Dawsari appeared trapped.
What happened next is forever etched into World Cup folklore. With a breathtaking display of close control, Al-Dawsari plucked the ball from the sky, twisted away from the lunging tackles, and engineered a fleeting sliver of space. Without hesitation, he unleashed a ferocious, curling right-footed strike. Even the towering frame of goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who managed to graze the ball with his fingertips, could not deny its trajectory. The ball nestled violently into the top right corner of the net, sealing a miraculous 2-1 victory.
The broader significance of Al-Dawsari’s wonder strike echoed far beyond the final whistle. For Saudi Arabia, it was a moment of pure sporting immortality that prompted the declaration of a sudden national holiday. For Argentina, however, the heartbreak served as a vital crucible. The shocking defeat was the ultimate wake-up call for manager Lionel Scaloni, forcing tactical adjustments and a mental reset that eventually propelled Messi and his squad to lift the trophy a month later in the very same stadium. For future generations of fans exploring the archives, Al-Dawsari’s goal remains the quintessential reminder of the World Cup's enduring magic: no matter the odds, on any given day, giants can fall.
Historical · 2022
The Save of the Century: Emiliano Martínez Denies Kolo Muani
In the dying seconds of the 2022 World Cup Final, Argentina's Emiliano Martínez made a miraculous, sprawling save against France's Randal Kolo Muani to keep the score locked at 3-3 and force a historic penalty shootout.
There are moments in football that transcend the sport, freezing time and etching themselves permanently into the collective memory of billions. For the 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup, the tournament's absolute climax did not come from the magical boot of Lionel Messi or the blistering pace of Kylian Mbappé, though both had already delivered superhuman performances. Instead, the ultimate defining image came from the outstretched left leg of Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez in the 123rd minute of the most gripping, emotionally exhausting final in the history of the sport.
The stage was set in Qatar's cavernous Lusail Stadium. The scoreboard flashed 3-3 after a breathless 120 minutes of wild momentum swings. Argentina had dominated the first 70 minutes, building a comfortable 2-0 lead, only to watch a relentless Mbappé erase it with a stunning 97-second brace. Messi had scored again in extra time, only for Mbappé to equalize once more from the penalty spot. The tension was suffocating. With only seconds remaining before the final whistle, a hopeful long ball from the French defense suddenly bypassed the exhausted, retreating Argentine backline. Veteran defender Nicolás Otamendi misjudged the flight of the ball, and suddenly, French striker Randal Kolo Muani was completely through on goal.
It was the 123rd minute. One-on-one. The entire world collectively held its breath. If Kolo Muani scored, France would become the first nation in 60 years to successfully defend the World Cup, and Messi’s ultimate, lifelong dream would end in the most agonizing heartbreak imaginable. Kolo Muani let the ball bounce and struck it purely on the half-volley, aiming low for the near post. But Martínez, anticipating the danger with terrifying calm, exploded off his line. Making himself as large as humanly possible in a fearless spread-eagle stance, he threw his body forward and extended his left leg just in the nick of time. The ball slammed into his shin with a resounding thud, ricocheting safely away to the roar of the Argentine faithful.
That split-second reflex was far more than just a brilliant save; it was a dynasty-denying, legacy-preserving intervention. It preserved the 3-3 tie and forced the decisive penalty shootout, where Martínez’s psychological mastery and elite shot-stopping ultimately secured Argentina’s long-awaited third World Cup title. For younger fans exploring the archives, this single save perfectly illustrates the razor-thin margin between ultimate triumph and crushing despair. It is rightly remembered today not just as the climax of an unforgettable tournament, but as the greatest, most consequential save in the history of the FIFA World Cup.
Historical · 2022
The 97-Second Miracle: Kylian Mbappé's Volley
Down 2-0 with only ten minutes remaining, Kylian Mbappé resurrected France's hopes with a breathtaking 81st-minute volley that instantly became one of the most iconic goals in World Cup Final history.
For 79 minutes of the 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup Final, France was a ghost ship. The defending champions, paralyzed by Argentina's suffocating press and Lionel Messi's brilliance, had not registered a single shot on target. The match felt less like a contest and more like a coronation. But football, in its purest, most chaotic form, can be rewritten in an instant. All it took was 97 seconds for Kylian Mbappé to turn a procession into the greatest final in World Cup history.
It began with a flicker of hope—an 80th-minute penalty converted by the 23-year-old superstar to halve Argentina's 2-0 lead. The stadium in Lusail exhaled, assuming it was a mere consolation. But Mbappé wasn't finished. Almost immediately after the restart, Kingsley Coman picked Messi's pocket. The ball found Adrien Rabiot, who lofted it toward Mbappé. What happened next is etched into the very fabric of the sport's mythology.
Mbappé nodded the ball to substitute Marcus Thuram, who instantly scooped a return pass over the top of the Argentine defense. As the ball fell from the Qatari sky, time seemed to stand still. For any ordinary player, the instinct would be to take a touch, to settle the nerves, to assess the rushing goalkeeper, Emiliano Martínez. But Mbappé was operating on a different frequency. Leaning into the drop, he unleashed a venomous right-footed volley while falling to the ground. The strike, clocked at a staggering 123.34 km/h, tore through the air and nestled perfectly into the bottom right corner. The net rippled, the score read 2-2, and the world gasped.
For younger fans exploring this archive, it is crucial to understand the sheer audacity of this moment. To execute a first-time volley of that magnitude, under the crushing weight of a World Cup Final, borders on the impossible. While Argentina ultimately claimed the trophy on penalties following a breathless 3-3 draw in extra time, Mbappé's 81st-minute equalizer transcended the final result. It was a masterclass in defiance. In that breathless sequence, Mbappé didn't just score a goal; he proved that as long as there is time on the clock, greatness can summon a miracle out of thin air.
Historical · 2022
The Save That Stopped Time: Emiliano Martínez's 123rd-Minute Miracle
In the dying seconds of extra time during the 2022 World Cup Final, Argentina's Emiliano Martínez pulled off a miraculous save against France's Randal Kolo Muani, forever altering football history.
The Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022, provided the stage for arguably the greatest FIFA World Cup Final ever played. Argentina and France had battered each other into a state of glorious exhaustion. The scoreboard glowed with a staggering 3-3 tie. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé had traded blows like heavyweight champions, elevating the match into a mythic realm of sporting drama. But as extra time bled into its very last seconds, the defining image of the tournament was etched not by a legendary goalscorer, but by an unyielding goalkeeper wearing a vibrant green kit.
In the 123rd minute—122 minutes and 43 seconds into the contest, to be exact—a hopeful, towering clearance from the French defense agonizingly bypassed Argentine defender Nicolas Otamendi. The ball bounced perfectly into the stride of French substitute Randal Kolo Muani. Suddenly, he was completely alone, sprinting into the penalty area with only Emiliano 'Dibu' Martínez standing between France and a historic back-to-back World Cup triumph. A deafening, collective gasp fell over the billions watching worldwide. Kolo Muani struck the dropping ball cleanly, unleashing a venomous half-volley destined for the bottom corner of the net. By all logical metrics, it was a championship-winning strike.
Except, Martínez refused to let the dream die. In a split second of pure, unadulterated instinct, the Argentine shot-stopper rushed forward and spread his body into a massive 'starfish' shape. He extended his left leg with desperate, almost unnatural elasticity. The ball smashed against his outstretched boot with a resounding thud, deflecting away from danger just as the stadium held its breath. It was a miraculous, reality-bending intervention that defied both physics and the crushing pressure of the moment.
To understand the magnitude of this save is to understand the incredibly fragile margins of footballing history. Had that ball found the net, Lionel Messi’s lifelong, desperate quest for World Cup glory would have ended in the most agonizing heartbreak imaginable. Instead, Martínez’s heroics dragged Argentina into a penalty shootout. There, his psychological mastery and shot-stopping prowess ultimately secured La Albiceleste's long-awaited third star. For fans looking back at the 2022 archive, this singular moment serves as the ultimate reminder: in a tournament heavily defined by attacking brilliance, it was a single, defiant left boot that truly conquered the world.