There were a whopping 36 goals across the Premier League weekend.
Of course, plenty of them were beauties.
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Along with Jeff Hendrick‘s perfect volley, Steven Okaka’s clever flick, Sofiane Boufal‘s bending beauty and Wilfried Zaha‘s stunning smash, there were so many jaw-dropping moments.
Click play on the video above to watch the best from Week 15 as plenty of defenders had a lie down in a dark room thanks to some stunning offensive displays.
Lionel Messi scored one goal and assisted another before the Netherlands hit Argentina twice in the final 20 minutes, but the Albiceleste survived a penalty kick shootout to reach the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup on Friday.
Argentina will now face Croatia, who shocked the world and beat Brazil earlier on Friday, in the first semifinal on Tuesday.
The opening goal came from virtually nothing, as Messi dribbled through midfield with four orange shirts between him and the goal, and three shading out Nahuel Molina, the eventual goal scorer. It mattered not one bit at all. Messi slipped the ball not only through one line of defenders, but also back across one lane of traffic, stopping it on a dime for Molina to receive it in stride and tuck it inside the far post.
Messi got his goal at the penalty spot in the 73rd minute, atoning for his missed spot kick against Poland during the group stage. At 2-0, with barely a quarter-hour remaining, Argentina had one foot in the semifinals and Messi was just over three hours of football from lifting the World Cup trophy.
🇦🇷 ¡¡GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL DE ARGENTINAAAAAAAAA!! 🇦🇷
⚽️ ¡¡LEEEEOOOOOO MESSI!! El crack argentino aumenta la ventaja para @Argentina 🔥
¡¡EL MÁXIMO GOLEADOR ARGENTINO EN MUNDIALES!!#NED 0-2 #ARG #MundialTelemundo #ElMundialLoEsTodo #NEDvsARG pic.twitter.com/qhxAaAP3ah
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) December 9, 2022
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As brilliant as Messi was in attack, Argentina’s defensive performance was suffocating and controlling (for a time) as they allowed just one shot in the opening 82 minutes, before a frantic final eight minutes, which included a goal to make it mighty interesting late on with long ball after long ball to substitute Wout Weghorst. And, it was Weghorst who headed home the first Dutch goal after Steven Berghuis whipped a fantastic cross into the box.
10 minutes into second-half stoppage time, with the entire world watching and waiting to see if he could get the ball over the wall and back down under the crossbar, Teun Koopmeiners slipped a clever ball toward the penalty spot for Weghorst to collect and sweep it past Emiliano Martinez.
Martinez made saves to deny Virgil van Dijk and Berghuis in the first two rounds of the shootout, as Argentina raced out to a 3-1 advantage after three rounds. Things got interesting when Enzo Fernandez pulled his attempt wide of the post in round no. 4, but Lautaro Martinez hammered the ball past Andries Noppert to end it at 4-3.
[ MORE: World Cup odds ]
Kick off: 2pm ET, Friday, December 9
Stadium: Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
That ball from Messi. 😍#FIFAWorldCup
(via @TelemundoSports)pic.twitter.com/87HzJKwY8b— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) December 9, 2022
Louis van Gaal is looking for arguably the only major trophy to escape his reach with the World Cup, and Virgil van Dijk isn’t too far behind his manager. Jurrien Timber’s joined VVD in a very good back three, Cody Gakpo had been the breakout player of the tournament in all likelihood before Goncalo Ramos captured the world’s attention with his hat trick for Portugal on Tuesday.
Enzo Fernandez has been shining along with Messi, while Nicolas Otamendi has turned back the proverbial clock at center back in a tour de force for the CONMEBOL powers.
Current FIFA world ranking: 8
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 10
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (Won Group G)
Coach: Louis van Gaal
Key players: Virgil van Dijk, Memphis Depay, Frenkie de Jong
𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘-𝗨𝗣 for the big one! ⚔️🇦🇷#WorldCup #NEDARG pic.twitter.com/ZVSHb7Xn25
— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) December 9, 2022
Current FIFA world ranking: 3
World Cup titles: 2 (1978, 1986)
World Cup appearances: 17
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from CONMEBOL (2nd place)
Coach: Lionel Scaloni
Key players: Lionel Messi, Angel de Maria, Lautaro Martinez
📋 ¡Once inicial confirmado! ⚽
Así formará @Argentina 🇦🇷 para el encuentro ante #PaísesBajos 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/eSz1qyBDPn
— Selección Argentina 🇦🇷 (@Argentina) December 9, 2022
The World Cup 2022 schedule is locked in and this tournament in Qatar has been sensational as the knockout rounds will capture the imagination of the globe.
[ LIVE: Watch World Cup en Espanol en Peacock ]
Japan, Australia and Morocco made the last 16 with so many huge shocks during the tournament, but the Atlas Lions are the only one of the trio to survive into the quarterfinals. Germany, Denmark, and Belgium all crashed out in the group stage.
In the quarterfinals Croatia dumped out red-hot favorites Brazil on penalty kicks to blow the tournament wide-open, while Argentina edged past the Netherlands on penalty kicks in an epic encounter.
[ MORE: World Cup rosters for all 32 teams ]
The other side of the bracket sees Morocco meeting Portugal for the right to tangle with the winner of England vs France.
So, yeah, the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final should be dynamite. Bring. It. On.
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Below is the schedule in full, details on how to watch the games and everything else you need..
[ MORE: World Cup odds ]
Follow along with ProSoccerTalk for the latest news, scores, storylines, and updates surrounding the 2022 World Cup, and be sure to subscribe to NBC Sports on YouTube!
Match 58 – Friday, December 9: Croatia 1-1 Brazil (Croatia wins 4-2 on penalties) – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Match 57 – Friday, December 9: Netherlands 2-2 Argentina (Argentina wins 4-3 on penalties) – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Match 60 – Saturday, December 10: Morocco vs Portugal (preview) – Al Thumama Stadium, Doha – 10am
Match 59 – Saturday, December 10: England vs France (preview) – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 2pm
Match 61 – Tuesday, December 13: Argentina vs Croatia – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – 2pm
Match 62 – Wednesday, December 14: Winners Match 59 vs Winners Match 60 – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 2pm
Match 63 – Saturday, December 17: Losers Match 61 vs Losers Match 62 – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan – 2pm
Match 64 – Sunday, December 18: Winners Match 61 vs Winners Match 62 – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – 10am
Match 49 – Saturday, December 3: Netherlands 3-1 USA – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Match 50 – Saturday, December 3: Argentina 2-1 Australia – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Match 52 – Sunday, December 4: France 3-1 Poland – Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
Match 51 – Sunday, December 4: England 3-0 Senegal – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Match 53 – Monday, December 5: Japan 1-1 (AET, 1-3 PKs) – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Match 54 – Monday, December 5: Brazil 4-1 South Korea – Stadium 974, Doha
Match 55 – Tuesday, December 6: Morocco 0-0 (AET, 3-0 PKs) Spain – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Match 56 – Tuesday, December 6: Portugal 6-1 Switzerland – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Recap/highlights: Qatar 0-2 Ecuador – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Senegal 0-2 Netherlands – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor – 5am
Recap/highlights: Qatar 1-3 Senegal – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Netherlands 1-1 Ecuador – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Netherlands 2-0 Qatar – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Ecuador 1-2 Senegal – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: England 6-2 Iran – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: USA 1-1 Wales – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: England 0-0 USA – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Wales 0-2 Iran – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Wales 0-3 England – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Iran 0-1 USA – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Recap/highlights: Mexico 0-0 Poland – Stadium 974, Doha
Recap/highlights: Poland 2-0 Saudi Arabia – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Argentina 2-0 Mexico – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Recap/highlights: Poland 0-2 Argentina – Stadium 974, Doha
Recap/highlights: Saudi Arabia 1-2 Mexico – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Recap/highlights: France 4-1 Australia – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Recap/highlights: Denmark 0-0 Tunisia – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: France 2-1 Denmark – Stadium 974, Doha
Recap/highlights: Tunisia 0-1 Australia – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Recap/highlights: Tunisia 1-0 France – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Australia 1-0 Denmark – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Recap/highlights: Spain 7-0 Costa Rica – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Germany 1-2 Japan – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Spain 1-1 Germany – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Japan 0-1 Costa Rica – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Japan 2-1 Spain – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Costa Rica 2-4 Germany – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Belgium 1-0 Canada – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Morocco 0-0 Croatia – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 5am
Recap/highlights: Belgium 0-2 Morocco – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Croatia 4-1 Canada – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Croatia 0-0 Belgium – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights Canada 1-2 Morocco – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Brazil 2-0 Serbia – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Recap/highlights: Switzerland 1-0 Cameroon – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Recap/highlights: Brazil 1-0 Switzerland – Stadium 974, Doha – 11am
Recap/highlights: Cameroon 3-3 Serbia – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Recap/highlights: Cameroon 1-0 Brazil – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Recap/highlights: Serbia 2-3 Switzerland – Stadium 974, Doha
Recap/highlights: Portugal 3-2 Ghana – Stadium 974, Doha
Recap/highlights: Uruguay 0-0 South Korea – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Portugal 2-0 Uruguay – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Recap/highlights: South Korea 2-3 Ghana – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: South Korea 2-1 Portugal – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Ghana 0-2 Uruguay – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Can red-hot Portugal find a way past Yassine Bounou and Morocco when the World Cup quarterfinals hit Qatar on Saturday?
Match 60 of the tournament will see Bounou riding high after stopping three of four penalties faced in the Round of 16 versus Spain, but Portugal won’t be thinking about going more than 90 minutes after scoring a half-dozen goals against Switzerland.
STREAM MOROCCO vs PORTUGAL LIVE
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a fourth-minute goal to lead Portugal past Morocco in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup, but Morocco’s yet to lose in Qatar.
The Atlas Lions needed penalties to beat Spain in the Round of 16, while Portugal had no such trouble in clobbering Switzerland 6-1.
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
Here is everything you need for Morocco vs Portugal.
Kick off: 10am ET, Saturday December 10
Stadium: Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
Bounou — spelled Bono on his jersey — was sensational in penalties, but Morocco’s defenders limited Spain to a single shot on target. Romain Saiss has been especially good in the middle of the back line while Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazroui have been effective out wide, going forward and defending.
Portugal put Goncalo Ramos in the Starting XI for Cristiano Ronaldo and the 21-year-old center forward scored three goals and added an assist against Switzerland. Bruno Fernandes has been wonderful for Portugal, while Ruben Neves and Rafael Leao were able to get through the match with small sub roles and should be rested if called upon by Fernando Santos, who is seeking a World Cup to go with his EURO crown.
Current FIFA world ranking: 22
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 6
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from CAF
Coach: Vahid Halilhodzic
Key players: Achraf Hakimi, Yassine Bounou, Youssef En-Nesyri, Romain Saiss
Current FIFA world ranking: 9
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 8
How they qualified: Qualified from UEFA via playoffs
Coach: Fernando Santos
Key players: Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruben Neves, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Cancel
Match 59 of the 2022 World Cup features a pair of European heavyweights duking it out for a place in the semifinals when England faces France on Saturday.
[ MORE: Lineup projections for England vs France ]
Didier Deschamps’ France is bidding to become a back-to-back World Cup winner, but Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions are tournament-hardened and have shown their explosive nature three times this tournament.
France beat Poland 3-1 in its Round of 16 match while England overcame a dodgy start to pound Senegal 3-0.
Neither team can say its faced a test like this in the tournament, and this could be a fantastic fight in Qatar.
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
Here is everything you need for England vs France.
Kick off: 2pm ET, Saturday, December 1
Stadium: Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
England will look to Harry Kane, though the question remains who will flank the Tottenham center forward. Marcus Rashford’s been very good but Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden got the starting spots against Senegal and it paid off for Southgate.
Kylian Mbappe has been borderline unstoppable and will test Harry Maguire, John Stones, and friends and Antoine Griezmann pulls the strings in behind and Aurelien Tchouameni continues to strengthen his reputation in the center of the pitch.
Current FIFA world ranking: 5
World Cup titles: 1 (1966)
World Cup appearances: 15
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA
Coach: Gareth Southgate
Key players: Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Pickford
Current FIFA world ranking: 4
World Cup titles: 2 (1998, 2018)
World Cup appearances: 15
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (Won Group D)
Coach: Didier Deschamps
Key players: Kylian Mbappe, Raphael Varane, Antoine Griezmann
