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With only 8 games left in the 2018 World Cup, only 8 teams remain in the tournament with a shot at the trophy - Russia, Uruguay, France, Croatia, Sweden, Brazil, Belgium and England. The RO16 saw a few favourites bite the dust, while a few favourites soldiered on, indifferent to the pandemonium around them.
As one would expect, this round several superstars rise to the occasion and deliver the goods, while some failed to make an impact. In some cases, the individual brilliance was not enough for their team to secure passage to the next stage.
That being said, here's a look at the 2018 World Cup Round of 16's team comprising of the best XI players:
Goalkeeper
Igor Akinfeev (Russia)
There are several goalkeepers who performed admirably in this round - Denmark's Kasper Schmeichel, Croatia's Subasic, England's Jordan Pickford - but there is something about a 32-year-old national hero who holds his own ground against former champions in front of a 78,000 crowd.
Igor Akinfeev, captain extraordinaire of the CSKA Moscow team and the Russian national team, was responsible for his side's first knockout victory in WCs, and made two great saves in the penalty shootout - against Koke and Iago Aspas, to send a nation of more than a 100 million into a night of partying.
It was not only the penalty shootout where he excelled. He also made several vital saves (9) prior to that to deny Isco and the Spaniards for the course of 120 minutes, and then outdid David De Gea in the shootout to make his nation proud.
Honorary mention: Kasper Schmeichel (Denmark)
Denmark might have lost out to Croatia, but they produced one of the finest displays of the WC so far, and deserve to keep their head held high at the end of it. Kasper Schmeichel saved 3 penalties on the night, including one off Luka Modric in the second half of extra time to take the game into penalties in the first place.
The son of Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel, Kasper has built a name of his own winning the PL with Leicester City, and now being part of a Danish side that is capable of going off against the traditional powerhouses of European football.
Defenders
Diego Godin (Uruguay)
It was always going to be a tough ask of Portugal to ask them to outscore Uruguay, and in the end, that is exactly what happened. Cavani and Suarez were too much to handle on their own, and Diego Godin and Jimenez at the other end put an end to Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup dream.
After not conceding a single goal through the group stage, Uruguay did concede one against the European champions but ultimately went through to the next round. It might have had something to do with Jimenez's injury concern, but Godin stood his ground against the crosses that were peppered into the box from the wings.
Godin completed 2 interceptions and 2 tackles during the night and was part of 7 clearances in addition to winning 2 offensive aerials and 2 defensive aerials. Surprisingly, he also completed 1 dribble and did not get dribbled past even once.
Harry Maguire (England)
The Leicester man is fondly referred to as "Blockhead" in the English dressing room, and one look at him and you can understand why. Along with sporting a physical frame that looks like it was built to take blows, Harry Maguire is not shy of going for the ball if it is anywhere near him.
Against Colombia, Maguire won an astonishing 12 aerials - that's right. TWELVE. He might not look it, but he is only 1 cm shorter than Yerry Mina and had almost seen to it that Mina did not get his lethal head onto the ball during the corners, but a momentary lapse of concentration from the team led to the Colombian goal.
Jan Vertonghen (Belgium)
Vertonghen has been the best Belgian defender in the tournament so far, and despite an error on his part that led to Japan's first goal, he made amends for it by scoring a header - the longest in WC history, to bring Belgium back into the game.
He since confessed that the goal was not intentional and merely accidental, but it was still a gem of a goal. He also completed 2 tackles and 2 interceptions on his part and won 8 aerials during the course of his 120 minutes on the field.
Honorary mention: Andreas Granqvist (Sweden)
Part of Sweden's unexpected run into the tournament, and currently in the tournament, do not be surprised if Granqvist becomes a household name by the end of the next 8 matches in Russia.
Sweden might not play the most attractive football there is, but they know how to win and when to win and Granqvist is the centrepiece of their whole defending ensemble. Against Switzerland, he successfully held off Shaqiri and Drmic to deny them any easy attempts on goal.
Central midfield
Ivan Rakitic (Croatia)
Part of the stunning Croatian midfield, the Modric-Rakitic system has become almost too compatible to separate one from the other. Modric might have missed his penalty in extra time, but Raktic got his revenge by scoring the winning penalty of the game.
After an excellent group stage, the Barcelona midfield carried over his form to the RO16 and was instrumental in attack. He had 102 touches on the ball and completed 70 passes during the game with 2 dribbles, 2 tackles and 2 interceptions to his name.
Casemiro (Brazil)
Casemiro will miss the next game against Belgium and might be the player Brazil miss the most during the quarterfinals, as he received a yellow card for a tactical foul against Mexico and needs to serve out his suspension in the quarters.
Neymar reported an admiration for his team's defence that has gone under the shadow of their enormous attacking talent, and Casemiro as the defending midfielder is where things are really at. Just like at Real Madrid, he rarely ventures out of position and plays as the third centre-back when the ball is in the other half.
Against Mexico, Casemiro had 6 tackles to his name, 3 clearances and won 3 aerials. He was the major part of why Mexico's pace on the ball did not trouble the Brazilians - something Germany missed sorely in their encounter.
Paul Pogba (France)
Paul Pogba has blown hot and cold so far, but in the game against Argentina, he really stepped up. Along with Kante, Pogba played the role of a defensive midfielder, but he was mostly involved as a Regista with Kante staying back.
He was also heavily involved in the defensive side of things, with 2 tackles, 3 clearances and 2 interceptions to his name. On the attacking side of things, he completed 2 dribbles and won 2 headers for his team, along with using his physique to shield the ball away from the Argentines.
After being overshadowed by Kante's work rate for most of the tournament, it was finally a worthy performance from the Manchester United midfielder and one that will earn him a little more respect from the French fans.
Honorary mention: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Lionel Messi will have to wait for 4 more years for yet another shot at the World Cup, and whether he will play another WC remains to be seen, but he almost took Argentina home against France - and pretty much of his own accord.
Playing as the False-9 (Why, we do not know and cannot fathom), he dropped at times to the role of a deep-lying playmaker to help out against a superior French midfield. He delivered 2 assists on the night, but it was too near yet too far for him - even more so than the last occasion.
Wingers
Eden Hazard (Belgium)
Eden Hazard was awarded the man of the match for his spectacular display during Belgium's remarkable comeback against Japan, his assist being responsible for Fellaini's soaring equaliser off his head.
The RO16 performance is the continuation of his remarkable run so far in the WC, and after concerns whether Belgium are capable of living up to their reputation of being the dark horses, things are looking alright for them.
He completed 5 dribbles in the game and hit the woodwork once while delivering a massive 5 key passes (47/59 completed passes). With the next match scheduled against Brazil, Hazard will be the player the team keeps their eyes on.
Willian (Brazil)
Another Chelsea player, Willian was the best part of the Brazilian attack against Mexico and delivered the assist that led to Neymar's opening goal. After a poor start to the tournament and at risk of losing out his place to Douglas Costa, Willian has finally arrived in Russia and at the right time.
Against Mexico, Willian completed 7 dribbles and delivered 3 decisive passes (31/38 completed passes). On the defensive side, he put in 2 tackles and won 2 headers for his team. Willian has always been praised for his defensive work rate, and it came to the fore against the speedy Mexicans.
Honourable mention: Emil Forsberg (Sweden)
In a team that doesn't boast the creative talent comparable to the bigger teams left in the tournament, RB Leipzig's Emil Forsberg was expected to be the man behind any and all goal-scoring opportunities, and the winger has rightly delivered.
He was responsible for the goal against Switzerland that sent Sweden into the next round, but in addition to that he also completed 1/2 dribbles and had 2 shots blocked. Playing on the left, he will be vital to Sweden during their next game against England and will look to expose their 3 man backline.
Strikers
Edinson Cavani (Uruguay)
Uruguay's go-to man for quite some time now, Edinson Cavani roared his way into the tournament after being relatively quiet in the group stage. He scored his first goal in the final group game against Russia and bettered that with a brace in the RO16.
His telepathic connection with Luis Suarez was in full flow during the match, as the pair played one-twos with the ease that would make any defence in the world terrified. A timely return to form for both strikers will do a world of good for the South Americans, and the team will turn to Cavani once more against France.
Kylian Mbappe (France)
Another PSG striker, Mbappe proved why he is rated so highly with an inspired performance against Argentina. After drawing the penalty which Griezmann converted, Mbappe cut into the Argentine defence with his sheer pace and scored a brace with his lethal finishing.
At 19 year, Mbappe is one of the youngest players in the WC and will have many more WCs to his name in the years to come. In the next round, Mbappe will face his toughest test yet - against a stubborn Uruguayan defence that hates conceding goals as much as he loves scoring them.
Honourable mentions:
Neymar (Brazil)
Brazil's golden boy scored his second goal of the tournament in their RO16 fixture against Mexico and played a major part (as he always does) in their attack. But he was overshadowed in the face of Willian's performance.
Harry Kane (England)
Yet another penalty for the Tottenham striker, as he notched up his 6th goal of the tournament to lead the Golden Boot race. With not many players left in the tournament who are close to him, Kane might just win the award if things go the right way.
The 2018 World Cup Round-of-16 XI:
