AL KHOR, Qatar — The $220 billion World Cup climaxed after 12 years of anticipation and controversy, with autocrats and the world watching, on a Sunday night that, for a while, was all about Qatar.
It was the global stage this petrostate long ago sought — the dramatic opening ceremony, the spouting fireworks from the top of Al Bayt Stadium. It was a moment of validation, of arrival, of legitimacy, of belonging. It was a celebration, replete with flag-waving and giddiness and on-cue cheers for Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir.
Then the game actually started.