It was an incredible party that nobody in the Middle East wanted to end.
After a record-breaking 172 goals in 64 games, involving 32 teams across 28 thrilling days, it was time to say a fond farewell to Qatar World Cup 2022 on Sunday.
Lionel Messi wrote a fairytale ending by inspiring Argentina to an enthralling penalty shoot-out win over France, for whom Kylian Mbappe scored a remarkable hat-trick to make it 3-3 after extra time.
But even after the final ball was kicked, and the final two guests had departed, it was clear the memories forged on and off the pitch would last.
A tournament that started tentatively had sprung into life when the Green Falcons of Saudi Arabia brought Argentina crashing to earth in the first round of group stage fixtures.
It was the South American side, of course, who would soar into the final and end up with the World Cup.
It was a football festival with no shortage of drama.
Lionel Messi's quest for World Cup glory, Cristiano Ronaldo's fall from grace and Morocco's magnificent march into the record books were among the stories that made this another engrossing chapter in the history of the World Cup.
As good as the action on the pitch was, it was arguably the fans who stole the show. They turned up their droves, full of passion but in good spirits throughout.
Supporters from all over the world filled the narrow streets of Souq Waqif on match days to rejoice over famous victories and commiserate after heartbreaking defeat.
From the sea of blue and white army representing Argentina, to the rhythmic beat of Senegalese drums, Doha was where nations were united by the power of sport.
That unity was on display during the third-place play-off between Morocco and Croatia, when football fan Souheil Adra, 46, dropped to one knee and delivered a marriage proposal to Nisrine Kawa in the stadium.
She said yes, and the decision did not even need to be reviewed by VAR.
The result of the match, a 2-1 win for Croatia, mattered little to them or the thousands of Morocco fans so proud of their sides historic run to the semi-finals.
“I’m thankful for what Morocco has achieved in the World Cup. We are now part of World Cup history,” said Morocco fan Rachid Bellaziz.
The World Cup showed all that is good about the region as Qatar opened its arms to the world in a show of Arabic hospitality.
The event left its mark in the Emirates, too, with fan zones across Dubai packed with cheering spectators eager to be part of the action.
Large numbers of Argentina fans — who greatly outnumbered the French contingent — had arrived at Lusail Stadium several hours before kick-off on Sunday, waving flags, holding placards and full of song.
They believed it was Messi's destiny in Doha to join Diego Maradona in lifting the World Cup aloft. It was the only trophy to elude him during his glittering career. But now the wait is over.
Many had remarkable tales about the great lengths they had gone to to be in Doha, hoping to be part of history.
Three Argentine friends were still on the hunt for tickets with hours to go until the players lined up, having completed an epic 10,000 kilometre bike ride from Cape Town to follow their heroes in Qatar.
“We started this adventure in May and it was an incredible journey,” said Leandro Pighi, 32, who along with Lucas Ledezma, 35, and Matias Vilaruel 30, had cycled through 15 countries in six months on the ride of a lifetime, arriving in Qatar the day before the competition started.
“We took flights to Cape Town from Argentina and started cycling all the way through Africa and Asia to Qatar. We followed our football passion and chant for the team in all matches,” Mr Pighi said.
French flair was on show as supporters turned up with faces painted in their national colours as they cherished a second consecutive World Cup final.
A spectacular closing ceremony added more glitz and glamour to the occasion before the teams took centre stage.
High-profile figures such as French President Emmanuel Macron and Elon Musk took to their seats as the biggest game in football drew near.
It was Messi and Mbappe that they had all came to see, however.
The master taking on the apprentice, the footballing king and the Paris St Germain teammate who sought to take his crown.
It is now onwards to World Cup 2026, when three countries in the US, Mexico and Canada will aim to replicate the magic of Doha.
It will prove a hard act to follow.
Mobile phone packages comparison
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Gurm, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Al Nafece, Al Muatasm Al Balushi, Mohammed Ramadan
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adrie de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Ottoman, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Liwa Oasis – Group 2 (PA) 300,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeemat Muscat, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ganbaru, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
PREMIER LEAGUE STATS
Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring statistics in the Premier League
Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals
2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures: Monday, first 50-over match; Wednesday, second 50-over match; Thursday, third 50-over match
SOUTH%20KOREA%20SQUAD
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LUKA CHUPPI
Director: Laxman Utekar
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Cinema
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Aparshakti Khurana
Rating: 3/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Joe Root's Test record
Tests: 53; Innings: 98; Not outs: 11; Runs: 4,594; Best score: 254; Average: 52.80; 100s: 11; 50s: 27
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The biog
Age: 30
Position: Senior lab superintendent at Emirates Global Aluminium
Education: Bachelor of science in chemical engineering, post graduate degree in light metal reduction technology
Favourite part of job: The challenge, because it is challenging
Favourite quote: “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” Gandi
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic