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World Cup: Best of the Round of 16 – The greatest of all time

By Orri Benatar

KAZAN, RUSSIA - JUNE 30: Kylian Mbappe of France celebrates after scoring his team's third goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Round of 16 match between France and Argentina at Kazan Arena on June 30, 2018 in Kazan, Russia. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
KAZAN, RUSSIA - JUNE 30: Kylian Mbappe of France celebrates after scoring his team's third goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Round of 16 match between France and Argentina at Kazan Arena on June 30, 2018 in Kazan, Russia. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images) /
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The Round of 16 in Russia was the best we ever saw. It was hard to widdle down the best of the best from the last four days.

This tournament is everything we wanted and even more than we expected. The Round of 16 continued the trend of dramatics, great goals, stoppage time drama, and an added bonus of penalties and extra time. I can’t remember a Round of 16 that was this entertaining.

In our latest episode of the ‘Road to Moscow’ podcast series, Ashley Anthony and I shared our thought on the Round of 16 games and our favorite moments. Listen down below. Here, I will elaborate more on my choices for the best of the Round of 16.

Best Game: Belgium 3-2 Japan

The second-half alone makes this the best game of the Round of 16. I thought I was gonna type the France-Argentina goalfest as my best game. That was until I witnessed maybe the most exciting half of football I have ever seen. Japan’s 2-0 lead followed by a comeback for the ages by Belgium.

Best Moment: England wins a shootout

Russia upsetting Spain was pretty incredible, but we have seen big-time upsets in the World Cup before. For the first time ever, we saw England win a penalty shootout at a World Cup. The penalties were almost all flawless as England advanced to the quarterfinals. Let’s see what they can do against Sweden.

https://twitter.com/IanWright0/status/1014255098975879175

Best Player: Kylian Mbappe

Mbappe had one of the best individual performances in World Cup history. The 19-year old blitzed past the Argentina defense to score twice and lead France to a 4-3 victory. Out of all the football players that have graced the World Cup stage, only Kylian Mbappe and Pele can say they scored two goals in a World Cup knockout game as a teenager.

Best Goal: Benjamin Pavard vs. France

Honorable mentions include Mbappe’s second goal and the Chadli winner for Belgium, which are all in this article. Benjamin Pavard’s wonder strike takes the cake as the best goal of not just the Round of 16, but of the entire 2018 World Cup. It was unlikely and a pristine strike of the ball to tie the game for France at 2-2.

Next: 3 Group Stage performers that could improve EPL clubs

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