Russia 2018: it’s been an extraordinary World Cup.
Drama, upsets, controversy, and some sublime football.
Here are our favourite moments of perhaps the most exciting World Cup ever.
Panama’s first ever World Cup goal (vs England)
Felipe Baloy.
Thirty-seven years old, 13 clubs.
Winning his 98th cap and with three goals to his name in an international career spanning
17 years.
Ricardo Avila swings in a left footed free kick.
Panama are 6-0 down with 13 minutes left to play.
Baloy emerges from a cluster of static white shirts, throws himself forwards, right leg
extended, guides a perfect finish hard and low past the outstretched left hand of the
England ‘keeper.
A hug from Blas Perez, a kiss blown to the jubilant fans who have made the journey of
six thousand miles.
Panama’s first ever World Cup goal.
Schmeichel saves vs Croatia
Twenty-five minutes into extra time, a place in the quarter-finals at stake, penalty Croatia.
Modric places the ball down on the spot, strikes it, and Schmeichel flings himself to his left,
cradling the saved shot.
Teammates surround him.
Peter looking down from the stands, the other Great Dane.
And then, the shoot-out.
A blur of yellow plunging right, trailing leg, Badelj’s hands cover his face.
Then up steps Pivaric, Schmeichel’s arms stretched high, diving right, celebrating
with a thrown, clenched fist, echoed by his father.
It’s not enough, but no one could have done more.
Dier penalty vs Colombia
After normal time, extra time, goals, fouls, a brutal, sapping game, nothing could separate
England and Colombia.
And so, to penalties.
The rocks on which England have foundered so many times.
Henderson’s shot, brilliantly saved by Ospina.
Pickford’s heroics give England a chance.
And up steps Eric Dier.
Spurs.
Bottler.
He’ll miss.
They always lose.
Looks down, looks at the keeper, a few steps and strikes it.
4-3, Pickford under a heap of bodies, Dier redeeming years of failure from 12 yards.
England’s first ever success in a World Cup penalty shoot-out.
Korea Republic second goal vs Germany
Germany, defending Champions, have 30 seconds to save their World Cup.
Everyone is forward, a throw in to Manuel Neuer, sweeper keeper turned midfielder.
Desperation, then confusion, as Ju Se-jong steals in, takes the ball, turns and heaves
it up the pitch with his left.
And there, despite the exhaustion, the chasing and pressing, is Son Heung-min, hurling himself
after the pass.
Sule does his best, but Son is quicker, gives himself the easiest left foot tuck into the
goal, peeling away, jumps arms outstretched into a bundle of teammates.
Ozil, on his haunches.
The unthinkable has happened.
Mario Fernandes header vs Croatia
Alan Dzagoev, breathing heavily, looks across at the jostling and movement in the penalty
area.
Russia, the hosts, have less than ten minutes to give themselves a chance of progressing
against Croatia.
In the crowd, hands are clenched in prayer.
Dzagoev starts, stutters, starts again, and crosses.
Croatia flat-footed, and Mario Fernandes rises, heads home unopposed, bottom left.
Ecstatic, leaping the advertising hoardings and screaming at the crowd, fists clenched.
On the side-lines, Cherchesov prowls, almost a smile.
The hosts have a chance, again.
Fernandes: born in Brazil, made in Russia.
Iran VAR no goal vs Spain
Iran have a free kick, minutes after Spain have scored.
Tenacious, well-organised, but they have not exactly threatened.
Until now.
Ramin Rezaeian crosses, two Iranians running towards the back post, chased by a defender.
It falls to Saeid Ezatolahi who calmly slots it through the legs of a collapsing, twisting
De Gea.
The number 6 sprints for the corner, as teammates leap on him, the bench clearing to join the
celebrations.
But Spain are unconvinced, Pique shrugging.
It goes to VAR, monitors in a box-room in Moscow.
Iran are denied, correctly.
Ezatolahi, crestfallen.
From ecstasy in agony in a moment.
Belgium breakaway vs Japan
From 2-0 down to 2-2.
Thirty seconds left.
At stake, the right to play Brazil in the quarters.
Courtois rises, plucks a corner from the air.
Sprints to the edge of his box, rolls it to de Bruyne, sprinting into space.
Four Belgians in a line, Lukaku ahead, but Japan have three back.
De Bruyne, as nonchalant as you can be a full stretch with the seconds ticking down, out
to Meunier.
Meunier crosses, low, towards Lukaku.
Lukaku, leaning into his man, lets the ball whisper past his foot.
To Chadli, left-footed, past the dive of Kawashima.
End to end, the perfect counter.
Messi goal vs Argentina
There’s a moment, as Ever Banega’s pass arcs towards Messi, and the Nigerian defence
turn and chase, when you just know.
Messi bursts forwards.
The ball nestles on his left thigh, watched all the way, drops, a little flick forwards
with the left foot, letting it run across his body until, just before the angle is too
tight, his right foot wraps around the shot, which rises, curls away, into the net.
Messi sinks to his knees, for a moment all that weight floating away.
Maradona in the stands, clutching himself, eyes to the heavens.
Pavard goal vs Argentina
France Argentina.
Vibrant, young France, angry, shaken Argentina, brittle but always dangerous.
They’ve clawed their way ahead, too, despite Sampaoli, despite everything.
And then, a break.
Matudi finds Hernandez sprinting down the flank, and somehow he gets a cross in.
It evades everyone, bounces once, twice.
And there is Pavard, unfancied Pavard, the one you hadn’t heard of.
His body contorted to 45 degrees, a perfect connection.
Five players between him and the goal.
The finest, sweetest shot of the World Cup, curling in, unsaveable.
Pavard runs, slides on his knees towards the bench.
After that, the rest is easy.
Cavani and Ronaldo
Portugal are losing.
The European Champions need to find something against battle-hardened, never-say-die Uruguay.
And then Uruguay’s Cavani, goal-scorer, talisman, breaks down.
Limping towards the touch line.
His game, and possible World Cup, over.
Ronaldo, Portugal’s captain, goes to him, puts an arm around his waist, shepherds him
off.
Perhaps it’s to hurry him up, to get on with the game.
But perhaps it’s a gesture of sportsmanship, the decent thing to do for a respected opponent.
Whichever, it’s an image that will last.
Two fierce competitors, united in a moment of kindness.