The best moments after the group stage of the 2018 World Cup.
The elimination of defending champions Germany was one of the most notable highlights after the group stage of the 2018 World Cup.
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| The most notable record (23 penalties)Eighteen penalties were the previous World Cup record. But in this tournament, that number was surpassed in the group stage. Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty against Iran was the 19th, setting a new record. After the group stage, a total of 23 penalties had been awarded by referees. |
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| The funniest situation (Michy Batshuayi):Batshuayi's celebration at the England-Belgium match wasESPNThis was voted the funniest moment of the group stage. In the 51st minute of the match, Adnan Januzaj scored the opening goal for Belgium. Batshuayi celebrated by shooting the ball into the net. Unfortunately, the ball hit the post and bounced straight into the face of the 24-year-old striker. |
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| Best photo (Japanese fans):At major tournaments, Japanese fans always impress the world, and this time is no exception. After the matches, fans from the Land of the Rising Sun always stay in the stands to help the organizers collect trash. |
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| The most emotional victory (South Korea 2-0 Germany):South Korea was 99% certain to be eliminated before the final matchday, so the team played a do-or-die game against the defending champions. As a result, South Korea defeated Germany 2-0, directly sending coach Joachim Loew's team home. South Korean players and fans will forever remember this historic victory, even though they failed to advance to the round of 16. |
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| Best player (Harry Kane):With five goals in two matches, Harry Kane is currently leading the list of top scorers at the 2018 World Cup.WhoscoredThe Tottenham striker was rated as the most outstanding star of the 2018 World Cup group stage, receiving an average score of 8.96. |
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| Best team (Croatia):Along with Uruguay, Croatia is one of the rare teams to have secured a perfect 9 points after three group stage matches. Luka Modric and his teammates successively defeated Serbia 2-0, annihilated Argentina 3-0, and comfortably beat Iceland 2-1. Possessing a high-quality squad of players at their peak, Croatia is truly a formidable force in this tournament. |
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| The most disappointing team (Germany):"The German tank" entered the 2018 World Cup as the defending champion. However, two defeats against Mexico and South Korea led to Germany's bitter exit from the tournament in the qualifying rounds. After 80 years, coach Joachim Loew's team repeated this dismal performance. |
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| As for the World Cup, it's no surprise that in the last three tournaments, the defending champion has failed to advance to the round of 16. |
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| The luckiest team (Japan):It wasn't Argentina, but Japan that truly squeezed through the "narrow gap" to qualify for the round of 16. Towards the end of their match against Poland, Japan resorted to playing a defensive game in their own half to maintain their 0-1 lead. As a result, Japan advanced because they had a better fair play record than Senegal. |
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| The teams that qualified for the round of 16. Graphic:Minh Phuc. |
