Despite its many controversies, this year’s World Cup in Qatar brought many great moments. From breathtaking goals to acrobatic celebrations, countless highlights of this World Cup will be remembered as classics. Let us look at 10 of the best moments from this year’s tournament.

1. Cameroonian captain Vincent Aboukakar scores the winning goal vs. Brazil and is ejected from the match.

In one of the most unexpected upsets of this World Cup, Aboukakar hit the ball past Brazilian goalkeeper Allison Becker, giving Cameroon the win over Brazil. In a turn of events, Aboukakar took his shirt off in celebration, resulting in his second yellow card which forced him to leave the match. In addition, American referee Ismail Elfath, “daps” up the Cameroonian as he walked off the field. What could be more amusing?

2. Brazilian forward Richarlison Andrade scores with a magnificent bicycle kick vs. Serbia.

Some may call this the goal of the entire World Cup, and it very well might be. In his first match against Serbia, Andrade pulled off a bicycle kick to give Brazil a 2-0 win against Serbia. To give context, a bicycle kick is executed by using one foot to control the ball and then flipping over, like a bicycle wheel, to score a goal with the other foot. The acrobatics used to achieve the kick make this goal one of the best in this year’s World Cup.

3. Ghana winger Osman Bakhari imitates Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo’s celebration after scoring vs. Portugal.

Bakhari kept Ghana in the game with a late 89th-minute goal to cut Portugal’s lead to one. After scoring, Bakhari ran toward the Portugal fan section and did the iconic “SIUUUUU!” celebration that Cristiano Ronaldo is known for after he scores.

4. American forward Christian Pullisic’s winning goal vs. Iran sends the U.S. to the Round of 16.

After receiving two points in the first two matches in Group B, the U.S. faced a must-win game vs. Iran. After a slow start, Pullisic received a brilliant cross-field pass from defender Sergino Dest and headed it down with a full-body extension, putting the U.S. in the lead within the first 38 minutes. Even though Pullisic got injured while scoring, his goal sent the U.S. to the Round of 16 and made him a true American hero.

5. Saudi Arabian winger Salem-al Dawsari’s goal between two defenders leads Saudi Arabia to defeat Argentina.

The tides turned when the Saudi Arabian forward, Salem-al Dawsari, scored a beautiful goal while falling away from two Argentinian defenders, giving the Saudis a 2-1 lead early in the second half of the game, one of the most shocking wins of the tournament.

6. Dutch striker Wout Weghorst finds the net in the last minute, forcing extra time vs. Argentina.

Seventy-five minutes into their quarterfinal, the Dutch were finished vs. the South American giants of Argentina. However, after a quick goal in the 82nd minute, the climax came down to the last free kick after 90 minutes. Posing a tricky situation for Argentina, the Dutch found substitute forward Wout Weghorst on a short pass under the wall of Argentina’s defenders for the tying goal. Even though the result did not go the Dutch’s way, the team’s resilience was second to none in the second half.

7. Dominik Livakovic makes a huge save in the penalty shootout against Brazil.

If there was one way Brazil could have avoided a loss against Croatia, it was penalties. The Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made countless saves in this tournament. The climax came in the first shot of the penalty shootout against Brazil when he made a huge save, giving Croatia the early advantage. Livakovic’s save proved to be one that would go a long way for Croatia. 

8. Brazilian celebrations shed light on the evolution of football culture.

If there’s one team that gave the best goal celebrations in this World Cup, it was Brazil. The samba celebrations that originated in the team’s win over South Korea have sparked numerous imitations on social media and added a new element to football culture. Brazil may be known as the country of football, but it is also known for having some of the most iconic dances. 

9. U.S. winger Tim Weah scores a beautifully crafted goal against Wales.

If the U.S. needed an excellent way to start the tournament, they found it with 19-year-old forward Tim Weah. In the U.S.’ opening game against Wales, Pullisic finds Weah on a beautiful line-breaking pass through the Welsh midfield, and Weah scored the first goal of the U.S.’ 2022 World Cup campaign. This goal helped restore confidence to a young squad on the world stage, giving them hope that they could someday play more competitively in future World Cups.

10. Youssef En-Nesyri scores the quarterfinal winning header for Morocco against Portugal.

In the quarterfinal match against Portugal, Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesyri delivered a beautiful cross from right winger Yahia Attiyat Allah before going up for the semifinal-sealing header for the Moroccans. The goal was impressive. En-Nesyri used his 6″ 2 height advantage over Portugal defender Bruno Fernandes and goalkeeper Diogo Costa to score and book Morocco a place in the 2022 World Cup semifinals, the first African nation to ever do so in a World Cup.