The carnival of the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia has moved on to the crucial stage of quarterfinals. The 8 teams that fared ahead from the round of 16 and the 8 that didn’t had some interesting performances, both team and individual. While on one hand we saw legends like Messi, Ronaldo, Iniesta and Ramos finish their international careers on a low, it provided the stage for some less household names to step up for their nation. The contest between the 368 players was close, but here we have managed to assemble the best 23 man squad on the basis of their performance in the pre quarterfinal stage:
Goalkeeper
Igor Akinfeev (Russia)
Rating – 8.9
The host skipper was right on the money against the 2010 champions Spain, in a game where Russia showed a lot of determination in defence as a unit, to finally qualify for the next stage for the first time in their history. The CSKA Moscow legend proved his worth for the armband, acting as a wall for the Spaniards that could not be broken with 9 saves to his name. He also saved the penalties from Koke and Iago Aspas in the shoot-out that led him to become a national hero.
Kasper Schmeichel (Denmark)
Rating – 8.5
The Leicester City man tried all he could to extend the Danish challenge: 5 saves, a penalty save off Luca Modric in the 116th minute and a couple of saves in the shoot-out. Had only his teammates not missed from the spot as much as they did, or had they cleared the ball well in the 4th minute itself, they would have been in the top 8. Not much flaw on his part for their exit, and he makes it into any team for his performances.
Guillermo Ochoa (Mexico)
Rating – 7.8
The Mexican goalie is tailor-made for World Cups, and specially that against Brazil. He shot to limelight last time when he faced Brazil in 2014, and continued from where he left this time. Saving 8 of the attempts that the Brazilians managed to put on his frame, he was the sole reason for a modest scoreline that could have easily been much further apart.
Defenders
Ilya Kutepov (Russia)
Rating – 7.7
Another thorn in the Spanish feet was the stalwart of Russian defence, who gave it all in order to prevent the Iberian giants from scoring. Kutepov won 2 tackles and 2 aerial duels, blocked 3 shots and cleared his area a massive 10 times, intercepting another 6 moves from the opponents. He proved to be rock solid at the back for the hosts and will be a key for them further ahead.
Yerry Mina (Colombia)
Rating – 8.3
The young Barcelona centre-half carried his scoring form from the group stages into the knockouts, as he scored the equalizer for Colombia in the third minute of stoppage time, fuelling the nations hope that would eventually perish to the hands of the English. The efforts of Mina were much more than the last gasp goal though, with him winning 5 aerial duels and 3 tackles and interceptions alongside clearing his area 10 times in the game.
Diego Godin (Uruguay)
Rating – 7.2
While stats may show that Godin had not performed according to his standards, what he did on the pitch was something probably only he could have. He marked the Portugese talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo, almost out of the game. Winning 4 tackles and interceptions alongside 7 clearances, he made sure the Uruguayan wall was not damaged much, and ensured their route to the top 8.
Sergio Ramos (Spain)
Rating – 7.6
The Spanish captain did his best to take his team through, initially forcing an Own Goal from the Russian defence and then spreading out 184 passes in the game, most by any player who took the pitch in this round, sending out 15 accurate long balls from the back before converting his kick in the shoot-out. He also won 4 aerial duels and 3 tackles in a game where his side had to barely defend otherwise.
Kieran Trippier (England)
Rating – 8.7
In a game that was more of a battle than a football match, Trippier was having a game in a different world. He led the charts in terms of creativity, with 5 key passes from the wing alongside a couple of dangerous dribbles. He did not let his attacking duties eclipse his defensive outputs, putting in 8 tackles to prevent the opponents from building attacks from his side of the wing.
Benjamin Pavard (France)
Rating – 7.42
A blaster of a goal that Benjamin Pavard scored against Argentina equalized the score, eventually leading to a 4-3 win for Les Bleus. This highlight pretty much summed up the game for Pavard: Powerful, Gracious and Energetic. He also put in 3 tackles and attempted 4 clearances, putting a check on di Maria and Tagliafico to prevent them from building attacks from his side.
Raphael Guerreiro (Portugal)
Rating – 8.15
The youngest peg of the Portugese defence, Guerreiro was impressive on the night despite his team going out within the 90 minutes itself. Guerreiro was brilliant in creating chances, with 4 key passes of which one was an assist for the solo goal of his team. He also put in decent defensive challenge, with 4 tackles and interceptions and 3 cleareances.
Diego Laxalt (Uruguay)
Rating – 7.51
The robust left back of Uruguay covering the whole flank was Diego Laxalt, a young full back from Genoa who is a part of the meanest defence in International football this year. Laxalt showed his ability to manage defence and attack equally well, letting in 5 accurate long balls alongside 9 tackles and interceptions. He was a constant threat for the Portugese right flank, who could not function as well as they would have hoped due to his presence.
Midfielders
Casemiro (Brazil)
Rating – 8.0
The Real Madrid defensive midfielder had not achieved his prime form in the group stages, but certainly seemed to show glimpses in the fixture against Mexico. He was solid both in attack and defence, letting in 3 key passes while attempting 6 tackles. He covered the midfield area well and won the battle in the middle of the park single handedly against the Latin American side, with a staggering 90% pass accuracy that helped the Selecao attackers rip the Mexican defence apart.
Ivan Rakitic (Croatia)
Rating – 8.5
Having lived so far in the tournament under the shadow of compatriot Luca Modric, Rakitic was the one who stepped up in the knockout to lead Croatia into a quarterfinal against the hosts. Not only he scored the last spot kick in the shoot-out that saw only 50% of the kicks land in the back of the net, he also attempted 3 shots in the match and was a key factor in the build-up play of the Croats. With him and Modric in midfield, Croatia look all but certain for a spot in the final.
N’golo Kante (France)
Rating – 7.3
Probably, you won’t have noticed this midget playing in the game with a 7 goal thriller going around, but he must be credited for taking France through as much as any other player. For he did the impossible, marking Lionel Messi out, and succeeded to some extent. The effect that Messi had on the game even after being so effectively marked is enough to cement Kante’s place in the squad, for had it not been him, the Argentine captain would have dragged his team through on the expense of the French.
Attackers
Willian (Brazil)
Rating – 9.24
Prevented by Ochoa on multiple occasions, Willian deserved more than an assist for the exploits he run on the Mexican defence. The Chelsea winger attempted 7 dribbles, providing 3 key passes and taking a couple of shots both of whom would have been a goal any other day. He was also the provider for the opening goal, when he successfully teed up with Neymar before beating a couple of defenders and letting the ball in, a perfect example of his chivalry.
Eden Hazard (Belgium)
Rating – 8.7
The Belgian captain was quite unlucky in the game against the Japanese, hitting the woodwork when the score was still 0-0, and yet managed to put on an impressive performance to lead his team to victory, providing 1 assist and 5 key passes alongside completing 5 dribbles that shook the opposition defence to a great extent. Another Chelsea winger, Hazard will be crucial when the Belgians take on Brazil in a mouthwatering clash in the quarterfinals.
Neymar (Brazil)
Rating – 8.5
The costliest player in history has been in the news for over simulation on fouls, but he shut all his critics in the clash against Mexico, being the most effective player on the pitch. He scored the opener and assisted the next to Roberto Firmino, and the number and nature of fouls being attempted on him was itself a testimonial of the threat he possessed to the opponents. Despite being fouled 6 times, he took 7 shots and provided 5 key passes to his teammates.
Nacer Chadli (Belgium)
Rating – 8.3
Despite getting only around half an hour playtime, Chadli left his mark on Belgian history forever. Completing 4 dribbles and taking two shots were not the sole reason to achieve this feat, but the brilliant positional sense and predatory instincts he showed resulted in the winner for Belgium in the third minute of injury time, overcoming a 2 goal deficit for the first time in World Cup knockout history. Chadli will surely enjoy the role of super sub with Carrasco ahead of him in the pecking order, but he showed he can be the difference between a win and a loss.
Genki Haraguchi (Japan)
Rating – 7.8
From the man who destroyed Japanese dreams to the one who initiated it, Haraguchi was alert and quick enough to capitalize on a mistake by the Belgian defence, taking his team into the lead. He displayed nice composure throughout the game, and not only attempted 2 shots but also put in a couple of important tackles.
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Rating – 7.9
The man who was marked by N’golo Kante for the entire game, almost led his country to a quarterfinal. He provided a couple of assists, beside letting in 3 key passes and making 3 dribbles. He was a key in Argentina taking the short-lived lead, with his shot deflecting off Mercado which led to the second goal for La Albiceleste. His vision was perfect and passing accurate, as displayed in the third goal where he found Aguero, but was too late in the context of the match.
Strikers
Kylian Mbappe (France)
Rating – 9.8
The run he made over 70 odd meters that saw him whizz past every layer of Argentine defence who had no option but to bring him down and give away a penalty made people go “Woah! .” He cashed in on every opportunity to exploit the shambolic defence of Argentina, dribbling past them 7 times in addition to the two beautiful goals that he scored, showing his skill, control, composure and technique. In one word, he was ‘Flawless’.
Edinson Cavani (Uruguay)
Rating – 8.9
It takes some mettle to be recognized as a prolific striker when you share the pitch with Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez. But El Matador had other objectives in mind when he went face to face with Portugal. A robust header to open the scoring followed by a sublime finish to score the winner, Cavani took the responsibility of scoring for his hardworking side well enough.
Harry Kane (England)
Rating – 8.6
The English captain scored his 6th goal in the tournament, almost securing his place at the top of the Golden Boot list. He was accurate in his penalties both in the game and the shootout, and tried his best to avoid the game being dragged on to an extended time period. 11 aerial duels show his level of commitment to the victorious cause, and shall be a key in upcoming fixtures.
Author’s XI
All stats and ratings : Whoscored.com
Beyond Minute 90 