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The group stages of the FIFA World Cup 2018 provided a mixed bag of emotions for football fans as the smaller teams managed shocking results against the tournament favourites. We witnessed some mouth-watering encounters between the world's biggest stars who looked to lead their nations to the knockout rounds of the tournament.
The group stages saw the disappointing exit of World Cup 2014 champions Germany who finished astonishingly last in their group. A number of underdog nations like Japan, Sweden and Denmark managed to seal their spots in the elimination stages of the competition against all odds.
The Round of 16 produced some mouth-watering ties as France faced Argentina which meant that one of the favourites would suffer an early exit from the competition. Several matches went all the way to penalty-shootouts as goalkeepers had a chance to turn heroes for their nation.
All eyes were on the sport's biggest stars who either shined in pressure situations and led their teams to victory or flopped on the biggest stage as their sides faced a painful early exit in the extravaganza. Let's take a look at 8 stars who rose to the occasion and decided the round of 16 ties for their respective nations.
#8 Kylian Mbappe (France)
The French Golden Boy, Kylian Mbappe shocked the entire footballing world after completing a sensational move to his dream boyhood club Paris Saint Germain for a whopping 180 million euros from rivals AS Monaco at just 18 years of age. All eyes were on the French star as he helped PSG to the French quadruple scoring 21 goals also producing 11 assists in 41 games across all competitions.
In the World Cup 2018, France haven't looked too convincing in attack with Mbappe looking like the only striker in form scoring 3 goals in 3 appearances. His most important contribution until now came against Argentina in their mouth-watering Round of 16 tie where he stormed past the defence scoring 2 goals and grabbed the assist for the crucial opener.
A lot is expected from the striker at the World Cup following his stunning move and he is exciting without doubt with his bursting runs and goal-scoring form. If France are to get past fellow favourites Belgium or Brazil in the semi-finals and win the World Cup, Mbappe will need to remain fit throughout the tournament and continue his current blazing form in front of goal.
#7 Edinson Cavani (Uruguay)
The 31-year-old Uruguayan striker, Edinson Cavani is the main striker of a star-studded Paris Saint Germain squad in Ligue 1. The forward has consistently scored 20 or more goals in every season for the French outfit and is their record top goal-scorer with 160 goals.
The lethal partnership between Cavani and fellow forward Luis Suarez would be the only hope for Uruguay to go as far as possible in the competition.
Cavani endured a poor start to his 2018 World Cup campaign scoring just 1 goal in Uruguay's final group stage match against Russia. Uruguay managed to top their group, however, as they didn't concede a single goal in their 3 group stage matches.
The beast rose to the occasion against Portugal in their Round of 16 tie where he scored 2 superb goals combining with captain Suarez in supreme fashion. The Uruguay faithful will hope for Cavani to grab his chances with any opportunity that comes his way when they face France in their quarter-final clash.
#6 Igor Akinfeev (Russia)
The Russian goalkeeper, Igor Akinfeev, is by far one of the stars of the squad making more than 500 appearances for CSKA Moscow in the Russian domestic league. The experienced campaigner has more than 100 caps to his name on the international stage and has kept more clean sheets than any other goalkeeper in Russian football.
Russia faced an uphill task when they faced World Cup 2010 champions Spain in the Round of 16. It was a dull encounter with Spain pointlessly passing between their defence and midfield throughout the match which eventually went to penalty-shootouts.
It was a battle between the veteran Akinfeev and the best goalkeeper in world football currently in David De Gea. Akinfeev put all his experience into effect by making 2 vital penalty saves of Koke and Aspas compared to De Gea's zero.
Russia managed to convert all their shots resulting in a historic win for the hosts as they reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Akinfeev will need to provide more remarkable performances for the Russian faithful if they are to go any further in the tournament as they face an in-form Croatian side next in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
#5 Danijel Subasic (Croatia)
The Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year in 2016-17, Danijel Subasic has made more than 200 appearances for the French outfit AS Monaco. The 33-year-old turned hero for his nation as he produced match-winning saves in the penalty-shootouts against Denmark and led the Croatians to the quarter-finals of the World Cup 2018.
The match got off to an electric start with 1 goal for both sides within the opening 5 minutes. A monotonous affair continued as neither of the teams could break the deadlock and the match eventually ran into penalty-shootouts. For the second time in the day, the goalkeepers would decide the final outcome of the game.
It was advantage Denmark as Kasper Schmeichel had heroically saved Luka Modric's penalty in the 116th minute. However, the veteran Subasic made 3 continuous penalty saves in the shootouts and ensured Croatia sealed their spot in the quarterfinals of the competition for the first time since 1998.
It's the battle between two nations who qualified on penalties next as favourites Croatia face Russia in the quarterfinals. The Croatian faithful will hope Subasic continues his top form in the further rounds should the contest extend to penalty-shootouts yet again.
#4 Neymar (Brazil)
Brazilian starlet Neymar sealed a move to French champions Paris Saint Germain from Spanish giants FC Barcelona in the 2017 transfer window with a record-breaking €222 million transfer fee to escape from the shadows of footballing legend Lionel Messi.
The World Cup 2018 was seen to be the event where the 26-year-old announced himself as the best footballer in the world ahead of the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The forward finally rose to expectations in their Round of 16 match against Mexico as he scored a superb goal to give the Selecaos a much-deserved lead and bagged an assist in the dying minutes of the game as Brazil advanced to the quarter-finals of the competition with a solid 2-0 victory.
The favourites face European giants Belgium next in a mouth-watering clash which is by far the standout fixture of the quarter-finals of the event.
Neymar will be motivated to lead the Brazilians all the way to the World Cup trophy as his rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi experienced early exits in the competition.
The Brazilian sensation is reportedly looking for a move away from French champions PSG and his performance in the World Cup will be vital to his chances of moving to a top club in England or Spain.
#3 Eden Hazard (Belgium)
The 27-year-old Belgian star, Eden Hazard has repeatedly performed on the biggest stage in world football as he led English giants Chelsea to 2 Premier League titles. The forward has drawn comparison to superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo due to his playing style and is seen to be one of the best footballers in the world.
With experience on his side and attacking ability that knows no bounds, the attacker will look to lead European giants Belgium to the World Cup trophy as they hope to realize their potential of winning the competition with their golden generation. Belgium endured a comfortable run to the Round of 16 topping their group without facing a defeat.
They avoided an upset in their Round of 16 clash against Japan as they completed a remarkable comeback scoring the winner in the 94th minute through Nacer Chadli. Eden Hazard provided the vital assist for the second goal with an accurate cross to Fellaini who scored the equaliser. He was also awarded the man of the match for his efforts.
Belgium face Brazil next in the quarter-finals of the event which proves to be an intense affair between two favourites to lift the trophy. The European giants will hope for notable contributions from their star-studded attackers as they hope to convert on the counter which will be led by their superstar Eden Hazard.
#2 Emil Forsberg (Sweden)
The talented winger, Emil Forsberg was the key attacker for Sweden who scored 8 goals and provided 19 assists in the 2016-17 campaign for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.
He has looked out of form recently with just 2 goals and 2 assists to his name in 21 appearances for the German side last season and will need to rediscover his form if Sweden are to stand a fighting chance in the latter rounds of the World Cup.
Sweden were not expected to qualify to the knockout stages of the World Cup with a tough group featuring the likes of Germany, Mexico and South Korea. They were without their talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic who was surprisingly not included in the squad to travel to Russia.
Expectations were low for a young side that was led by Forsberg who proved his worth after scoring the crucial goal in Sweden's 1-0 victory over fellow underdogs Switzerland in the Round of 16.
Sweden face England next in the quarter-finals and will need more from the talented dribbler combined with an overall team effort if they are to stand any chance of progressing any further in the competition.
#1 Jordan Pickford (England)
The 24-year-old goalkeeper Jordan Pickford caught the eye of top clubs in England with fantastic performances for English club Sunderland in the 2016-17 season following which he signed for Everton in a 30 million pound move in the 2017 summer transfer window.
The youngster faced fierce competition from experienced Joe Hart and impressive Jack Butland but earned the trust of manager Gareth Southgate for the starting spot for the Three Lions.
England underwent a comfortable run to the knockout rounds of the World Cup by winning their first 2 games and sealing their spot in the Round of 16.
They faced Colombia in the Round of 16 and avoided a scare in the early stages of the tournament as the match went on to penalty-shootouts with neither side able to find the elusive winner after 120 minutes of gruelling football.
It was an opportunity for Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina and English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to turn champion for their respective nation.
Jordan Pickford ended victor as he silenced his critics by valiantly saving Colombia's final two penalty shots. The Englishmen broke the curse of his nation in penalty-shootouts who had lost their previous three in the competition.
England face Sweden next in the quarter-finals and will be clear favourites to reach the finals of the World Cup 2018. They will hope for a complete team effort in their future matches as every match will be a final going forward.
Will England finally win the World Cup as they could face France or Brazil in the finals of the competition? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
