During the first knockings of the 2022 World Cup, defences often came out on top in a succession of goalless stalemates, leading some to consign the Qatar tournament as one of the most forgettable on record so far.
However, the 32 teams present in the Gulf state soon turned up the heat while coping in the heat, and the 2022 World Cup produced a myriad of matches that will go down in folklore for one reason or another.
Some nations performed largely as expected, some big names fell victim to one of the many giant killings which came to fruition in Qatar, and others will look back fondly on one 90-minute period of their lives no matter where they finished in the tournament.
Here, Sports Mole takes on the job of selecting the five best games of the 2022 World Cup.
5. COSTA RICA 2-4 GERMANY - GROUP E
© Reuters
Constant yo-yoing was a theme of the final matchday in Group F, as Japan and Spain locked horns for their right to compete in the knockout stages while Costa Rica and Germany battled to force their way into the top two slots.
The calculators were out in force during an ever-changing period of permutations, and Germany were en route to the knockout stages after Serge Gnabry took just 10 minutes to put his nation ahead against Costa Rica, but failure to add to their advantage almost proved oh-so costly.
Yeltsin Tejeda and Juan Pablo Vargas stunned the footballing landscape by putting Costa Rica 2-1 up with 20 minutes remaining, which would have propelled them to the last 16, although Hansi Flick's side took just three minutes to draw level again through Kai Havertz.
The Chelsea man made it a brace for himself off the bench before Niclas Fullkrug added a fourth for Germany to make sure of the win, but Japan's shock win over Spain meant that both nations on the Al Bayt turf were consigned to early exits, and Havertz's face upon receiving the man of the match award was the true definition of a picture speaking a thousand words.
4. ARGENTINA 1-2 SAUDI ARABIA - GROUP C
© Reuters
Eighteen years before the Qatar World Cup, Herve Renard was given the boot by Cambridge United following an extremely short period in charge. Fast-forward to 2022, and the Saudi Arabia manager engineered one of the most famous victories his side will ever sing about.
Taking on an Argentina crop determined to give Lionel Messi the World Cup send-off he deserved spelled immediate danger for Saudi Arabia, who were a goal down to La Albiceleste within 10 minutes courtesy of the 35-year-old's penalty.
A plethora of Argentina goals were ruled out as Saudi Arabia kept the scoreline respectable at the break, and whatever choice words Renard had for his players in the dressing room worked a treat, as the Green Falcons drew level within three minutes of the second half through Saleh Al-Shehri.
No problem, Argentina would surely respond to that setback and put the ball in the back of the net without the offside flag spoiling their fun, right? Wrong. Only five minutes after Al-Shehri's leveller, Salem Al-Dawsari sparked pandemonium with a wonderful strike into the top corner, and the Saudi contingent in the crowd would have surely replicated his backflip celebration if they could.
Renard's side defended heroically in the final exchanges to stun the South American champions and put an early dent in their World Cup hopes, but it worked out alright for La Albiceleste in the end.
3. CAMEROON 3-3 SERBIA - GROUP F
© Reuters
Neither Cameroon nor Serbia found the back of the net in their opening Group F fixtures with Switzerland and Brazil respectively, and not many were expecting fireworks to fly in their second showdown of the World Cup.
The net would ripple three times in the first half, though, as centre-backs Jean-Charles Castelletto and Strahinja Pavlovic demonstrated their attacking acumen before Sergej Milinkovic-Savic sent Serbia ahead on the stroke of half time.
The European nation would ostensibly see out an impressive win after Aleksandar Mitrovic got in on the act eight minutes after the restart, but the Indomitable Lions crowd roared their team on to a point in a spectacular six-goal thriller.
Vincent Aboubakar would reduce the deficit in the 63rd minute before Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting completed the scoring in a whirlwind of a stalemate just three minutes later, but that point would not do either side the world of good as they bowed out at the first hurdle.
2. NETHERLANDS 2-2 ARGENTINA (ARGENTINA WIN 4-3 ON PENALTIES) - QUARTER-FINALS
© Reuters
The TV's had been switched off and a Friday night out on the town was calling on December 9, with many assuming that Argentina would stroll to a simple success over the Netherlands after entering the final 10 minutes of their quarter-final with a 2-0 lead.
Another man-of-the-match performance from Messi saw the silky Argentine lay off Nahuel Molina to poke home the game's opening goal in the 36th minute, and he got in on the act himself in the second half, making no mistake from the penalty spot in a tale as old as time.
Even when Wout Weghorst came off the bench to reduce the deficit in the 83rd minute, not a single soul - especially Burnley fans - could have predicted what would come next, as the towering Dutchman managed to force home a tremendous equalizer 11 minutes into injury time following a brilliantly-worked short free kick from Teun Koopmeiners.
Louis van Gaal's side had offered next to nothing in the final third before the introduction of Weghorst, but mind games maestro Emiliano Martinez saved from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis in a feisty quarter-final where no fewer than a record 18 yellow cards were brandished.
1. ARGENTINA 3-3 FRANCE (ARGENTINA WIN 4-2 ON PENALTIES)
© Reuters
Well, what other game was it going to be?
Bidding to become only the third nation to win back-to-back titles, France's pre-final preparations were thrown into disarray as a virus swept through the camp, and the bug had seemingly taken its toll on Didier Deschamps's beleaguered crop.
Another World Cup game, another successful Lionel Messi penalty, and the ebullient Angel Di Maria would deservedly come up with the goal that his first-half performance warranted, finishing off a sweeping counter-attack to put his side 2-0 up.
However, Kylian Mbappe only needed a two-minute period to unexpectedly draw France level and force extra time, where Messi forced the ball over the line once more before a second Mbappe penalty allowed the 23-year-old to score only the second-ever hat trick in a World Cup final.
The perennially exuberant Martinez displayed his penalty-saving prowess by keeping out Kingsley Coman before Aurelien Tchouameni dragged his effort wide in the shootout, as Argentina went four for four to collect their winners' medals in one of the all-time great World Cup finals.
Ben Knapton
