Rise of a Football God

Egypt was a strong team, one of the best African footballing nations, but Brazil was just on a whole other level.

They may not be performing up to standards in recent years, but statistically, they were the best footballing nation in the history of football.

On the pitch, that element became the deciding factor.

FWEEEE!

The final whistle sounded, bringing the game to an end.

1-3 to Brazil.

Egypt fought valiantly in the first half, but their quality of players simply couldn't match against the quality of Brazilian players spread across the pitch, leading to them suffering for large swathes of the first half.

Vinicius Jnr. got the first goal of the game in the 31st minute, a Raphinha pass setting him up to run behind the defense, then a shift and shuffle with the ball before cutting in and shooting into the bottom right corner of the net.

The first half came to an end 0-1 to Brazil.

The second half barely started though when Mohamed Salah surged to life, receiving the ball at the right before spotting a run and playing an unreal trivela pass that cut through most of the field, evading all the Brazilian defenders before slowing down in front of an onrushing Omar Marmoush.

BAM!

One touch, one goal.

Marmoush rifled the ball into the roof of the net with his first touch.

But that equalizer only riled Brazil up more.

The Brazilian attack came to life, buzzing as they searched for the 2nd goal to no avail. Egypt defended for their life till Neymar was introduced into the game, replacing Vinicius Jnr.

6 minutes after Neymar entered the game in the 65th minute, Brazil got a freekick in the 71st minute of the game.

Neymar took the penalty kick, and then…

"GOALLLLLLL…!!!"

The MetLife Stadium in USA melted as Neymar stole the show.

He charged towards the corner flag, eyes dilated in excitement as he celebrated with his teammates, Brazilian fans roaring excitedly.

That goal took the momentum from Egypt.

Egypt became shaky, and Brazil was merciless. They were ruthless, and they capitalized in Egypt's moment of weakness.

Neymar set up Raphinha with a silky lobbed pass behind the defense. Raphinha sped past the Egyptian defenders, going round the goalkeeper before scoring the 3rd goal of the game.

Neymar and Raphinha got a goal and assist each, but at the end of the game, Neymar got the man of the match award.

Brazil won 1-3.

…

The next day, Chile took on Argentina.

It was another blockbuster encounter.

Both countries were opponents with a great history and rivalry in South American football, most of their vendetta developed from their Copa America clashes over the years.

Chile was the country that made Lionel Messi cry back in 2016 after stealing another Copa America trophy from them, so this was an epic game with bragging rights on the line.

Both countries played with only one intention in mind, to win.

It was a tight game filled with a lot of fouls, the players of both countries abusing their physicality, turning the battle into a brawl.

The first half ended goalless.

The second half was filled with even more venom as the referee brandished his yellow card a few times just to keep the situation under control.

The game was tight, all indications pointed to a goalless draw.

But then, a single man entered the pitch and changed the narrative.

In the 70th minute, Lionel Messi was introduced into the game, replacing Lautaro Martinez.

In the 83rd minute, Messi struck.

He unleashed an absolute piledriver from almost 30 yards out, rolling back the years as the ball flew with speed and power before finding its way into the back of the net, setting the stadium aflame.

The game came to an end 0-1 in Argentina's favor.

…

On that same day, there was another Group D encounter, this time being a clash between Qatar and Norway.

Qatar stood no chance.

They tried, trying their best to cause problems but they could do very little as Norway's elite strikers stole the show, Alexander Sorloth and Erling Haaland sharing the goals, getting one each to end the contest.

The game ended 0-2 in Norway's favor.

…

The next day, on June 24th, Croatia took on Canada in the first Group E encounter of matchday 2.

Having lost their first group stage game against Nigeria, Croatia were under pressure to win a game and get maximum points to keep their World Cup hopes alive. They entered the pitch to win.

Unfortunately for them, Canada entered the pitch with the same intention, to win and they had the tools to do it.

The first half of this game was a tight affair between 2 dynamic nations, Croatia leaning on their composed, passing, and heavy midfield-reliant playstyle while Canada leaned on a counterattacking style.

Luka Modric had the best game of his career in years, bossing the midfield battle while also producing the goods in the other end of the pitch.

In the 22nd minute, Luka Modric tore Canada's defense open, threading a defense splitting through pass for Ante Budimir who manhandled his marker with his physicality before scoring with his left foot.

Canada didn't stay silent though. Canada's captain, Alphonso Davies led by example, winning the ball from deep before going on an incredible solo run.

Alphonso Davies dribbled through 5 different Croatian players in his path, driving deeper till he penetrated into the 18-yard box where he passed to Jonathan David only for the striker to play a one two with him, setting him up for a shot.

Davies didn't hesitate.

BAM!

He struck, and… GOAL!

1-1, in the 37th minute.

The first half came to an end in a draw, 1-1.

The second half started and once again, Croatia hoarded possession, the ageless Luka Modric dictating play but it was not meant to happen for him today.

In the 65th minute, Jonathan David crushed Modric's dreams, receiving the ball before shooting and scoring from outside the box to make it 1-2.

That goal infused Croatia with urgency.

They fought, they searched for the goal to no avail. But then, in the 88th minute, Modric did it again, this time hitting a trivela pass into Perisic's path who simply tapped the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net.

Luka Modric played his heart out on the pitch, but he could only settle for a 2-2 draw.

Modric left the pitch in tears.