DOHA : Ecstasy, agony, and fury were all witnessed in the first phase (group stage) of the Qatar World Cup 2022, and it was not that dramatic in the Round of 16, the first knock-out phase as top teams barring a listless Spain, eased into the quarter-finals without many hiccups.

Oh yes, runners-up of the 2018 edition – Croatia – did survive a scare against the sharp Blue Samurais and the African-Arab flair was kept alive by the Moroccans. No Asian teams remain in the last eight, but Japan’s exhilarating show has left an indelible mark in Doha.

The Japanese left a big scar on the Germans followed by a slight puncture on Spanish pride. Germans found it hard to move on after the shocking defeat, but Spain had a better cushion and managed to finish second in their Group but suffered humiliation at the hands of Morocco.

The blue brigade could have made it to the quarterfinals had the Croatian wall not been too hard to breach. Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic’s heroics denied Japan three times in the penalty shoot-out and emerged triumphant.

The fixtures of the FIFA World Cup 2022 quarterfinals were decided after Portugal steamrollered Switzerland 6-1 in the last of the Round of 16 matches.

After two days of break, the quarterfinal action begins with in-form Brazil, who are eyeing their sixth World Cup crown, taking on stuttering Croatia on December 9 at the Education Stadium. The same day will witness another pulsating action Argentina facing the Netherlands.

England and France will face off for a place in the semifinals after Portugal and Morocco clash to move ahead.

With the stage set, my predictions for the quarterfinals are that the teams that make the last four will be Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, and England and the summit clash could be between the two South American teams.

All said and done, my ultimate winner of Qatar 2022, is Brazil, who have begun to believe in themselves after the return of Neymar

Neymar, who scored off a penalty the other day, has become the third Brazilian to score in three or more World Cups after Pele (1958, 1962, 1966, 1970) and Ronaldo (1998, 2002, 2006).

His burning desire is already reflected and if one listens to what he said after the match against South Korea the positive vibrations inside the Brazilian camp are evident.

“It’s time for us to go way further. The trophy is a dream, obviously, but we have to go step by step. There are three more games to go, and we’re focused on the trophy”, Neymar, who was declared the player of the match, was quoted as saying.

In between an individual battle broke out in the Portuguese camp but was doused immediately after the high-scoring win against Switzerland.

Fans were taken aback when star player Cristiano Ronaldo was benched by coach Fernando Santos. When everyone thought it was some sort of disciplinary action on the star player, Santos said it was just a strategically done ploy.

However, things were watered down when Goncalo Ramos, who took Ronaldo’s place in the first eleven scored a hat-trick in the 6-1 win. Ultimately, when the star came into the thick of the action, the stadium gave a roaring welcome.

Though not finding a chance to score, Ronaldo acknowledged Ramos’s achievement knowing very well that the latter could be Santos’s ‘go-for man’ in the remaining matches.

Do you know?

Croatia has a proven record to be a shoot-out specialist. The last edition’s runner-up has won their last three penalty shoot-outs at the World Cup, having beaten Denmark in the last 16 and Russia in the quarterfinals of the 2018 tournament and of course, Japan this time.