Sports fans witnessed some awe-inspiring moments throughout the year 2022. From Lionel Messi’s dream of winning the World Cup coming true to Roger Federer’s emotional farewell, 2022 brought forward some truly iconic moments in sporting history.
Let’s have a look at the ten of the best sporting moments in 2022:
10. Real Madrid Secure 14th Champions League Title
The Spanish football club, Real Madrid, the most successful team in UEFA Champions League history, continued their dominance in the competition by securing 14th Champions League trophy. Brazilian winger, Vinicius Jr’s 59th-minute strike was enough for Madrid to beat Liverpool at Stade De France.
The final was marred with controversy as crowd control issues around the stadium led the final to be delayed by more than half an hour.
9. Manchester United and Portugal Snub Cristiano Ronaldo
One of the greatest football players in history, Cristiano Ronaldo, had a year to forget with both club and country. Ronaldo ran into trouble with Manchester United’s upper management after a scathing interview with renowned journalist, Piers Morgan. In the interview, Ronaldo spilled the beans on Manchester United’s lack of ambition and also targeted their manager, Erik Ten Hag.
Ronaldo’s bombshell interview led to his contract with the club being mutually terminated. On the other hand, Ronaldo’s aspirations of leading Portugal to their first-ever FIFA World Cup title also hit a roadblock as he was unexpectedly dropped from the starting 11. Portugal crashed out of the tournament at the quarter-final stage as Morocco pulled off a shocking victory.
8. Netherlands Knock-Out South Africa From T20 World Cup
The 2022 T20 World Cup was one for the ages as the tournament provided some shocking upsets and some wonderful moments throughout. The shock of the tournament came when the Netherlands defeated South Africa to knock the Proteas out of the competition from the Super 12s stage.
While the win was a huge achievement itself for the Netherlands, it was also celebrated in Pakistan and Bangladesh as it provided both countries the lifeline to qualify for the semi-finals of the competition. Pakistan managed to defeat Bangladesh to qualify for the semi-finals which also resulted in the Netherlands finishing fourth in the table and directly qualifying for the next edition of the tournament.
Unfortunately for South Africa, the unwanted tag of ‘chokers’ stayed with them in yet another mega-event.
7. Lahore Qalandars Win PSL For First Time
Historically the worst-performing team in six editions of the Pakistan Super League, Lahore Qalandars managed to shock the cricketing world as they won their first PSL title in the seventh edition under the leadership of Pakistan’s pace sensation, Shaheen Afridi.
Qalandars, in front of a jam-packed home crowd at Gaddafi Stadium, completely outplayed Multan Sultans in the final of the competition as they emerged victorious by 42 runs. Qalandars’ win ensured that each franchise won the tournament at least once in history.
6. Roger Federer Announces Retirement
One of the all-time greats, Roger Federer decided to hang up his boots in 2022. The 41-year-old tennis superstar announced his retirement on social media in a heartfelt letter and said goodbye to the game in an emotional Laver Cup match alongside his longtime friend/rival Rafael Nadal.
Federer finished his career with 20 Grand Slam titles to his name and is considered one of the greatest athletes of all time.
5. Saudi Arabia Shock Argentina
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is considered one of the best tournaments in history due to the amazing upsets that occurred throughout the tournament. Perhaps the biggest upset of the tournament was caused by Saudi Arabia as they registered a shocking win over pre-tournament favorites Argentina.
Saudi pulled off an epic comeback from 1 goal down to score 2 goals in quick succession much to the surprise of the Argentinians. The victory was celebrated all across the world as footballing fans appreciated Saudi’s excellent display. To mark the occasion and Suadi’s greatest sporting achievement, a national holiday was announced in the country the next day.
4. Pakistan and India Put on a Classic in Melbourne
Fireworks are expected whenever arch-rivals Pakistan and India step into the cricketing field to face each other. This time around though, it was a whole other spectacle as the two sides met in the T20 World Cup in front of a jam-packed crowd at the historic Melbourne Cricket Stadium.
Much to the pleasure of the cricketing fans, the teams did not disappoint as they fought tooth and nail to gain a victory over their rivals. In the end, Virat Kohli’s masterclass innings snatched a win for India as Pakistan was left to rue their chances.
Nevertheless, the classic encounter was certainly one of the greatest moments in sports in the year 2022.
3. England Secure 2nd T20 World Cup Title
After losing their opening two games to India and Zimbabwe, Pakistan shocked the cricketing fraternity as they qualified for the final of the 2022 T20 World Cup to set up a meeting with holding ODI World Champions, England.
In a high-intensity match, England was able to handle the nerves better, with Ben Stokes holding the fort, to chase down the target of 138 with 5 wickets in hand and an over to spare. England became only the second team in history to win the T20 World Cup title on more than one occasion.
2. Morocco’s Historic Semi-Final Run
The North African nation shocked the world as they managed to qualify for the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Morocco became the first African country in history to qualify for the semis of the mega-event as celebrations across the world broke out.
Morocco first shocked Belgium in the group stage of the competition and qualified as the group leader for the Round of 16. They then went on a historic run by defeating Spain in the round of 16 and Portugal in the quarter-finals. They were eventually eliminated by France in the semi-finals of the World Cup.
Not only is this considered Morocco’s greatest sporting achievement, but it is also considered one of the greatest runs in FIFA World Cup history.
1. Argentina Win FIFA World Cup in Thrilling Fashion
Lionel Messi’s dream of winning the World Cup with Argentina finally came true as they defeated France in perhaps the greatest final in FIFA World Cup history.
Argentina looked to be cruising towards the trophy with a healthy 2-0 lead up until the 80th minute, but French forward, Kylian Mbappe had other ideas as he scored two goals in quick succession to pull France back in the game. The match headed into extra time as both teams looked to gain ascension.
Lionel Messi put Argentina in the lead once again in the 108th minute before Mbappe completed his hattrick in the 118th minute to send the match to penalties. Finally, Argentina was able to get their hands on the trophy as they won the penalty shootout by 4-2.
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