Qatar Day 3 - The Corniche and The Game

It’s game day, woo hoo!!!! In preparation for going to the game, it was a good time to walk along the Corniche and see some of the fan areas. The Corniche is a 7km (4.2 mi) walk along the Doha Bay starting from the Museum of Islamic Art.

The Pearl Monument

Probably the most famous item on the Corniche, the Pearl Monument represents Qatar’s primary industry prior to the discovery of oil in 1939: Pearl Diving.

La'eeb

La'eeb is the official mascot of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Who is he? Who knows??? According to the FIFA announcement, "La'eeb can be a figment of your imagination. He is whoever a football fan wants him to be."

The Amiri Diwan of the State of Qatar

The Amiri Diwan is the seat of rule of the State of Qatar and office of His Highness The Amir.

The West Bay

View of the West Bay from the Corniche.

The West Bay

I had a fascination with the circular sculpture on the left of the image, but do not know what it is. There are a few interesting buildings here, though. The one shaped like a bullet is the Doha Tower or Burj Doha and was completed in 2012. The building behind it with the diamond pattern is the Tornado Tower completed in 2008. The cone shaped one is the Al Bidda Tower completed in 2009.

Before the game, we headed out for an early dinner. This was the closest thing we found to a Qatari restaurant in Doha as most restaurants represent non-local cuisines. This is SMAT Restaurant.

SMAT Restaurant

A couple of appetizers.

SMAT Restaurant

Saffron Yoghurt Majkouzi: Special majkouzi basmati rice served with a tender lamb shank somthered in a yoghurt saffron sauce.

SMAT Restaurant

Qoozi Mubakhar: Charcoal smoked chicken kouzi over saffron rice garnished with potato, onion, golden raisins and nuts.

SMAT Restaurant

Jalbout Seabass baked in a rock salt dough marinated wiht qatari spices and herbs.

SMAT Restaurant

Jalbout Seabass baked in a rock salt dough marinated wiht qatari spices and herbs.

In 2006, I attended my first FIFA World Cup in Germany and went to see the 3rd place game in Stuttgart, where I saw Germany beat Portugal 3-1. At that point, I decided I would go to the future world cups and attend the 3rd place games. Usually, the 3rd place game is every bit as good as the final, but half the price. Well, this year, the final was the better game, but still had a blast seeing Morocco play Croata for the 3rd place award.

Khalifa International Stadium

We’ve just passed through the initial security checks and are now in the fan zone. One of the interesting things about this picture is the complete absence of Budweiser logos.

Khalifa International Stadium

Given the absence of beer, made our way inside to get ready for gametime.

Budweiser Zero Ad

This was the only evidence that Budweiser was a supporter of the World Cup, and it was for their zero alcohol beer as no alcohol could be served inside the stadium.

Khalifa International Stadium

Let’s play ball!!! Morocco on the left and Croatia on the right.

Khalifa International Stadium

At the end of the game, it was Croatia that took the 3rd place awards. What an amazing run for Morocco, though.