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#1 Denis Cheryshev
In their opening match against Saudi Arabia, Russia lost their creative force Alan Dzagoev due to injury. Cheryshev replaced him and scored a sumptuous goal in 43rd minute to give Russia a 2-0 lead.
He tricked his way past three Saudi Arabia defenders, lifted the ball over one before rifling home. Cheryshev also scored a left-footed beauty in the 91st minute of that match. The break out star of the 2018 World Cup has to be Cheryshev who has impressed on all fronts for his country.
Injuries are part of the dark side of sports but it is the avenue that opened the door for Cheryshev. Hosts Russia went into the competition on the back of poor results and needed inspiration from somewhere to make the fans believe in the team again.
He was also on target as Russia beat Egypt 3-1 to advance to the last 16. He saved the best for last in what has been touted as the World Cup goal of the tournament. He scored the opening goal on July 7, 2018, during Russia's 2-2 draw with Croatia in the quarter-final.
Although the hosts lost 3-2 on penalties, Cheryshev's goal remains to be a masterclass. He curled in a 25 yard shot past the hapless Danijel Subasic in goal to finish the tournament on four goals.
