World Cup 2018: 3 Unbelievable Goalkeeping Errors

The 2018 World Cup was a showpiece that completed a true supporter's thirst for footballing entertainment, There were tackles, red cards, disallowed goals, pitch invasions, great goals, lots of penalties and great saves among others. Whereas much of the attention was placed on the attacking star players, goalkeepers too played their role in keeping us at the edge of our seats.

There was a lot of good goalkeeping seen at the World Cup even from the 'smaller' nations. It was no surprise to see big sides like Spain and Portugal struggle against a team like Iran. Despite dominating the game, there was always that last line of defence in the shape of goalkeepers who did their best to keep the scoreline intact.

Young goalkeepers like England's Jordan Pickford showed great maturity and command between the goal to no doubt emerge as a top prospect in the transfer market. Goalkeepers such as Egypt's Essam El-hadary proved that age is nothing but a number. At 45, he became the oldest player to ever take part in a World Cup. He showed great reflexes to save a penalty against Saudi Arabia.

On the flipside, there were a number of top goalkeepers who were guilty of making rookie mistakes and ultimate howlers in the course of the tournament. Some of these three incidents became widely talked about and proved to be crucial in shaping the outcome of the match.

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#3 Neuer v South Korea

Neuer battling for the ball in the South Korean half with his goal unguarded

The then defending champions Germany went into their third and final Group F match on June 27, 2018, needing nothing short of a win to be assured of safe passage into the last 16. Prior to the World Cup, there was a lot of debate on whether or not Manuel Neuer would be fit to make the team let alone start given his long injury absence. German boss Joachim Low was bullish in his decision to not only select Neuer but give him the captain's armband.

After losing 1-0 to Mexico, Germany responded by beating Sweden 2-1 to set up a classic finale against South Korea. The Asian side was already eliminated following two losses and no one expected them to trouble the Germans. The Germans threw everything at South Korea but could not find a breakthrough. Kim Young-Gwon gave South Korea a shock lead in the 92nd minute.

This prompted Germany to commit players forward in search of an equaliser. Neuer too decided to leave his goal area unattended and joined the attack. In the 96th minute, Ju Se-jong dispossessed Neuer deep into the South Korean half and punted the ball clear. With no goalkeeper in sight, striker Son Heung-Min had a clear path to goal and he was able to score into an empty net. The Asians won 2-0 to condemn Germany to elimination and a bottom placed finish in the group.

#2 De Gea blunder v Portugal

Spain v Russia: Round of 16 - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

David De Gea is undoubtedly one of the best goalkeepers in world football today. He has been crowned Manchester United's player of the year in four of the last five seasons. His cat-like reflexes and ability to keep the opposition attackers at bay earned him the right to be dubbed as the best goalkeeper in the world. He was the undisputed first choice for Spain heading into the World Cup.

Whereas he is known for making inhuman saves, De Gea has in the past been caught out by what would be relatively easy balls if his lofty standards are anything to go by. On June 15, 2018, Spain faced European champions Portugal in the third match of the World Cup. Many expected it to be a tight match with few goals to separate the sides.

The match ended 3-3 much to the delight of those who sought a thriller. The subplot in this one is the manner in which Spain conceded the second goal. In the 44th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo found some space at the edge of the box and fired a low left-footed shot straight at De Gea. The shot did not have any venom to trouble even an average goalkeeper. Somehow, De Gea spilt his attempted catch and the ball rolled into the net.

#1 Lloris v Croatia

Lloris holds his head after a blunder that led to Croatia's second goal

This was a match that Les Blues were expected to win given the quality of players in the ranks and youthful vibrancy. Croatia also had fatigue to battle with given that they had played in three consecutive 120-minute matches prior to the final. The World Cup final has always attracted a lot of attention and it is the expectation that those who make it that far are elite players. On Sunday, France beat Croatia 4-2 to be crowned world champions once again.

France looked to be in cruise control in the 58th minute after goals by Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba and Mario Mandzukic's own goal. They were 3-1 ahead at that time before Kylian Mbappe added a fourth in the 65th minute. Three minutes later, Hugo Lloris, one of the world's best, gifted Croatia a simple goal.

He received a routine back pass from Samuel Umtiti and had many options at his disposal. He decided to try and dribble past Mandzukic. However, the striker was alert to stick his leg out and guide the ball into the net. Luckily for the French captain, this did little to change the result.