Ronaldo and the Juggernaut of Upsets at the FIFA World Cup

The Qataris are upset. The Argentinians are in shock. The Germans are in a daze. Cristiano Ronaldo is sending shockwaves at faraway Manchester United while making history. The world is a bit upside down as far as football is concerned in week one at the FIFA World Cup 2022.

By scoring his first goal at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar in the 71st minute, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo became the first footballer in world cup history to score goals at five World Cups. That takes him past the likes of Pele and Germany's Miroslav Klose in terms of World Cup appearances which only adds to his aura, having debuted in the World Cup in 2006.

However, if eyes were on the 37-year-old mega star, it was not just because of his age, or his football prowess. For the past fortnight, as much as Qatar has been in the headlines and not always for the right reasons, mired amongst a string of controversies, so was Ronaldo.

In a scathing interview, he derided the team he had recently returned to, Manchester United, after not being allowed to start the match by the current manager, discarding former players and team mates who had criticised him and also, throwing shade at the English team's American owners as being more vested in return on investments rather than taking the club interests forward. It might not be a coincidence that Manchester United seems to be in the market with the owners looking for a lucrative buyout.

Not surprisingly Ronaldo was handed the termination slip in a bitter disappointment for Manchester United fans. That though did not seem to affect Ronaldo on the field or Portugal for that matter. Although Ghana came back after Ronaldo's goal and again when put under pressure by Portugal for the score line to read 3-2 in the end, Portugal will consider themselves fortunate to have survived a topsy-turvy first week in the World Cup where many more renowned teams were felled.

It is hard to argue who took the bigger fall, Lionel Messi's Argentina or Manuel Neuer's Germany. Germany, in hindsight, might have been grateful for their defiant sporting gesture ahead of their match against Japan in protest of not being allowed to wear the "OneLove" armbands by putting their right hand over their mouths at the pre match photo to draw attention to FIFA silencing their voices.

It might have well deflected some of the attention that might have been laid at the feet of the former World Cup champions who are showing redundancy for a second World Cup in a row with many of the more famous names in the game apart from Thomas Mueller, Manual Neuer and even Rudiger out of action through retirement or other reasons.

That became the picture of the day and the highlight of what has been a rather heavily headlined first week at the World Cup, overshadowing the fact that Japan had decimated a strong World Cup record for Germany by making them eat humble pie.

Germany, who looked in control of the match at half time, with Japan looking unfocused and ragged, were in for a rude shock as Japan returned from the break rejuvenated and determined. The results were evident as Japan first threatened and then eventually equalised Germany's goal by Gundogan and then came back to score the goal that would draw embarrassment for the former world champions who did not taste success at the last World Cup outing either.

Germany are going to have to put this defeat behind them in a hurry as the horror of 2018 came flooding back, when the defending champions were knocked out at the first hurdle after losing to another Asian team, South Korea, by 2-0 margin, making that loss their first ever defeat against an Asian country in a World Cup match.

This is one record they do not want to be improving upon. It was also their first time since 1938 when they failed to make it past the first round. Germany has their work cut out for them if they want to erase that.

But it was Argentina's defeat at the hands of Saudi Arabia that was perhaps the most shocking news coming off the field primarily because this was unprecedented and also, because of the region where the World Cup is being hosted. Green and white dominated where it should have been blue and white by the end of the contest that focussed heavily on Messi in what is widely expected to be his final World Cup appearance.

What seemed like an interesting first half turned into a horror show for the South Americans as Saudi Arabia came back into contention in pulsating fashion, scoring back to back goals that created huge headaches for two time World Cup winners, Argentina. Messi later described his team as feeling dead after the match as they well should, stunning the World Cup and football spectators at large and sending ripple effects across the tournament in what is supposed to be a more open tournament than most as as many as eight top teams failed to make it to Qatar.

Poland's superstar striker, Robert Lewandowski, created more headaches for Argentina, when he missed a penalty against Mexico, keeping Argentina at the bottom of the group and desperate for a way out of this hole they find themselves in.

But hope floats not only for Saudi Arabia but also, England who once again sent patriotic hearts fluttering in the hope of repeating their 1966 World Cup success when they trounced Iran 6-2 even as Wales were held to a 1-1 draw by USA in Group B.

Defending champions France remained strong in their bid to do what no team in recent history has managed, win back to back World Cups with 4-1 victory over Australia. Only Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 an d1962) have won consecutive FIFA World Cups which is incentive enough for France who had previously won the World Cup in 1998 with Didier Deschamps as captain.

Spain showed they mean business as well, dominating a lacklustre Costa Rica with a stunning and resounding 7-0 win in Group E where Japan is enjoying rare air.

Uruguay's inability to get past South Korea in Group H caused some concern but not before it was overshadowed by the spirited effort by Ghana as they went down fighting to Ronaldo's Portugal.

But no team was perhaps as upset as Qatar. Having prepared extensively and having conquered the Asia Cup recently, the local fans expected a strong show for their team. However, hosting and competing in a competition at the level of a World Cup are two different things entirely as the team found out.

The team was clearly nervous and in awe of the occasion. It seemed only a matter of time before the game would turn against them, as it did with less fancied Ecuador sending the Qatari fans into mass depression after the team eventually lost 2-0.

In another first for a World Cup, it was widely reported that Qatar's fans were so upset that many were seen leaving the stadium well before the match was over, and that the only time such a mass exodus happened at a stadium in the World Cup was when Brazil were beaten 7-1 in 2014 by Germany who went on to beat Argentina to win their fourth World Cup title.