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Memorable Moments
Ronaldo’s hat-trick
No room for Lionel Messi in this list, but Cristiano Ronaldo bags a spot with some individual brilliance that will live long in the memory. Having led Spain twice, but trailing 3-2 in the dying minutes of their opening group game, Portugal won a free kick from 25 yards out.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man... Ronaldo hitched his shorts up to Y-front proportions and nailed it, smashing and curling the effort past David De Gea to complete his hat-trick.
Neymar falls
Perhaps predictably, the world’s most expensive footballer, Neymar, would be expected to claim one of the more memorable moments of this World Cup. Maybe not like this, though. While the Brazilian did come in for some tough tackling during the tournament, his over-the-top histrionics, swan-like dives, howls, and gravity-defying spins and rolls along the ground left pundits and commentators chuckling, and launched a thousand social media memes.
Son kicks out Germany
There was an element of farce to South Korean Son Heung-min’s goal against champions Germany, but the sheer weight of its impact ensures his strike wins a place in this list. The Germans had not been eliminated in the opening round for 80 years, but in the dying seconds of a dramatic night in Kazan, that is precisely what happened. Germany had pushed everybody, including goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, forward in search of an equaliser allowing Son to sprint onto a long clearance and roll the ball into an empty German net, consigning them to bottom spot in their group. Adding to the piquancy of the moment, the South Koreans celebrated crazily, in the mistaken belief their victory would see them reach the last 16, when in fact Sweden and Mexico advanced from that group.
Pickford saves
Everybody knew that England could not win penalty shootouts at World Cups – they had last lost all three previous World Cup deciders (1990, 1998 and 2006). So when Colombia equalised in injury time, and the sides were still dead-locked after extra-time, the smart money was on the South Americans. It had looked like ‘same ole, same ole’ when Jordan Henderson’s spot kick was saved by David Ospina, but Mateus Uribe hit the bar and Jordan Pickford saved from Bacca, leaving Eric Dier to squeeze the decisive penalty home.
TOP GOALS
Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal 3-3 Spain, Group B, Sochi
Ronaldo had already struck twice in this early thriller between two European titans but typically he made sure he had the final say with a sensational free kick which fizzed over the wall and dipped down into the net.
Benjamin Pavard
France 4-3 Argentina, round of 16, Kazan
France were trailing 2-1 to Argentina and heading out until the relatively unknown Pavard caught sight of Lucas Hernandez’s wayward cross, leant back and struck the ball first time with the outside of his right boot, giving it irresistible top spin which took it beyond the reach of Argentina’s outstretched goalkeeper Franco Armani, putting his side back on track.
Kevin de Bruyne
Brazil 1-2 Belgium, quarterfinal, Kazan
Belgium’s crucial second goal in their triumph over the five-times winners was sparked by a storming run through midfield by Romelu Lukaku and finished off with a deadly arrowed shot by De Bruyne into the far bottom corner, leaving Brazil on the rocks just as halftime approached.
Ahmed Musa
Nigeria 2-0 Iceland, Group D, Volgograd
The striker conjured an outrageous piece of skill to control a cross into the area, sending it spinning into the air and leathering it into the net on the half volley to give his side a surprise lead, which he later doubled with another impressive strike.
Biggest Disappointments
Lionel Messi
The Argentine’s fourth World Cup, and probably his hopes of winning the game’s greatest prize, ended in disappointment in the round of 16 loss to France. One magnificent goal against Nigeria, a missed penalty against Iceland and two assists as Argentina chased the game against France were the most memorable moments of an otherwise forgettable tournament for one of the world’s great players.
Africa
For the first time since 1982, not a single African side made it out of the group stage. Senegal came closest, falling behind Japan in Group H because of their disciplinary record but no sense of grievance at that outcome can disguise a hugely disappointing showing from the five representatives of the continent.
Asia
Asia’s five teams at least got some wins on the board, something the continent’s representatives conspicuously failed to do in Brazil four years ago, but only Japan managed to get out of their group. The Blue Samurai came within a whisker of giving Asia their first quarterfinalists since the continent first hosted the tournament in 2002 before Belgium came from two goals down to knock them out with a last-gasp Nacer Chadli strike.
Germany
Even if fellow heavyweights Spain and Brazil also failed to get to the business end and defending champions going out in the group stage has become a trend at World Cups, Germany’s exit was particularly humiliating. They needed a late Toni Kroos strike against Sweden just to stay alive until their final group match, where South Korea delivered a 2-0 coup de grace that left the Germans bottom of a group they would have expected to dominate.
Nikola Kalinic
The AC Milan striker’s tournament lasted five days before he was sent home for refusing to come on as a substitute in Croatia’s first game against Nigeria, saying he had a back problem. Coach Zlatko Dalic said he had used the same excuse in a previous friendly and to skip training. In his absence, Croatia went on to get to the final for the first time, guaranteeing the remaining 22 players a place in the country’s sporting pantheon. — Reuters