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18 greatest moments of the 2018 World Cup

PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / AFP / Getty

After an incredible month of World Cup action, we review the 18 greatest moments from a truly memorable tournament.

Ronaldo's spectacular hat-trick vs. Spain

Gianluca Nesci: It feels like a century ago now, but the greatest individual performance of the competition came on just the second day, as Cristiano Ronaldo secured an exhilarating 3-3 draw for Portugal with a hat-trick against Spain. His third tally, a stupendous free-kick in the dying minutes, will be making appearances in World Cup montages for years.

Mexico stuns Germany

Gordon Brunt: It was the beginning of the end for Germany, as the defending World Cup champion kicked off its campaign in Russia with a stunning opening-match loss to Mexico. Joachim Low's side looked vulnerable from the start before Hirving Lozano opened the scoring, helping Mexico pull off the upset. His goal produced an artificial earthquake in Mexico City.

Late drama in opening days

Brunt: There was plenty of drama on the second day at the World Cup, as Uruguay started things with a goal in the 89th minute to beat a stubborn Egypt side that produced an admirable performance without Mohamed Salah. Iran broke Moroccan hearts hours later with an injury-time winner courtesy of an own goal, and then Ronaldo's free-kick in the 88th minute earned Portugal a point against Spain. The opening round of matches ended in similar fashion, with Harry Kane scoring an injury-time goal, leading England to victory over Tunisia.

Japan falls to Belgium's swift counter

Brunt: It's going to be a while before the sting of Japan's collapse in the round of 16 subsides. Victory over Belgium was within reach as Japan entered the final 25 minutes with a two-goal lead. Then Belgium began one of the most dramatic comebacks of the tournament. With extra time looming, Nacer Chadli completed the late surge by breaking Japanese hearts with a goal in the dying seconds.

Toni Kroos' inch-perfect free-kick

Brunt: Sweden ultimately got the last laugh, but the Scandinavian nation had to endure heartache en route to topping Group F. Seconds away from recording a victory over the defending champion, Swedish players were distraught when Toni Kroos kept Germany's World Cup hopes alive with an unstoppable free-kick from an acute angle.

Wild finish to Group B

Brunt: For an example of VAR's impact at the World Cup, look no further than the crazy finish to Group B. The newly implemented technology played a significant role during the final matches when a video review of an injury-time equaliser resulted in Spain topping Portugal. Spain progressed as group winners because of a larger goal total, meaning the 2010 World Cup champion was given an "easier" matchup with tournament host Russia, while Portugal was pitted against Uruguay. In the end, both teams lost their round of 16 matches.

Shaqiri ignites political storm

Brunt: Rather than some elaborate dance routine, it was Xherdan Shaqiri's goal celebration that had everyone talking after the Swiss star guided his team to victory with a late winner against Serbia. Shaqiri, as well as Granit Xhaka earlier in the tie, marked his goal with a political statement by making a double-eagle hand gesture, which was interpreted as honouring his Kosovo heritage with the recreation of the Albanian flag to commemorate those who'd been oppressed in the former Yugoslavia. Each player was later fined by FIFA.

Maradona's antics in St. Petersburg

Brunt: It was a World Cup to forget for both Diego Maradona and Argentina. The legendary footballer stole headlines for all the wrong reasons in St. Petersburg during Argentina's dramatic victory over Nigeria to secure a place in the knockout round. From start to finish, the cameras focused on Maradona in the VIP section, where was seen dancing with a Nigerian supporter just hours before aggressively celebrating Marcos Rojo's winner by flipping off spectators. And to top the night off, Maradona required medical treatment and had to deny reports he was gravely ill.

Messi's wonderful goal vs. Nigeria

Brunt: Lionel Messi answered the call when Argentina needed him most during a must-win encounter with Nigeria. As Argentina stared down the barrel of elimination following a decisive loss to Croatia, the Barcelona star opened the scoring with a goal few players in the world could replicate. Messi's composure was on full display when he got on the end of Ever Banega's long-distance pass, then took three sublime touches before firing in the opening goal of a match Argentina won 2-1.

Neymar's endless barrel roll

Brunt: Unconfirmed reports suggest Neymar is still rolling. The Paris Saint-Germain star became the butt of jokes for his behaviour in Russia, which kicked off with his exaggerated reaction to being fouled in Brazil's opening-match draw with Switzerland. The overreaction ignited the Neymar Challenge:

South Korea sends defending champion packing

Brunt: No one gave South Korea a chance in a match that Germany needed to win to remain in the World Cup. Despite South Korea's slim chances of advancing out of the group stage before the match kicked off, the 2002 World Cup co-host held off the Germans, earning a stunning victory with two late goals to send Joachim Low's men home early.

Panama's first-ever World Cup goal

Brunt: Panama supporters weren't going to let a lopsided loss dampen their spirits when Felipe Baloy made history by scoring the country's first World Cup goal. Despite trailing England 6-0, the World Cup debutants were on cloud nine during emotional goal celebrations at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.

Russia upsets Spain

Nesci: It was death by 1,000 passes, but just not in the way everyone expected. Spain's tiki-taka style, so often the undoing of countless opponents, fell flat against Russia in the round of 16, as La Roja looked like a rudderless vessel simply knocking the ball back and forth against a resolute Russian rearguard. Spain completed over 1,000 passes but didn't generate much of a scoring threat for 120 minutes, eventually being ousted on penalties after the much-maligned Igor Akinfeev sent the supporters in Moscow into raptures by turning Iago Aspas aside.

Messi, Ronaldo bow out on the same day

Brunt: In just one day, the two biggest names in football saw their World Cup dreams go up in flames after both Argentina and Portugal were eliminated. It was perhaps the last chance for either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to lift the World Cup trophy in their prime. The pair will be 35 and 37, respectively, when the 2022 World Cup in Qatar rolls around.

El-Hadary makes World Cup history

Nesci: Egypt endured a miserable World Cup, both on the pitch and in the PR department. But the lone bright spot for the Pharaohs came in the form of national team legend Essam El-Hadary, who became the oldest player to appear in a World Cup match when he stood between the sticks for the team's group-stage finale against Saudi Arabia. To mark the occasion, the 45-year-old turned aside a penalty. It was beautiful.

'It's coming home'

Brunt: You either hated or loved it. There was no in between when it came to the English anthem, which often reappears in the UK singles charts whenever the Three Lions are in a major tournament. In Russia, however, the song was as popular as ever when England embarked on a World Cup journey that ended one round shy of the final. While many from outside England, such as Croatia's Luka Modric, interpreted it as a sign of arrogance, the song's message has been defended as a way for English supporters to express their self-deprecating humour over their country's lack of success at the World Cup since winning it all in 1966.

England (finally) wins on penalties

Nesci: "England win on penalties." When Peter Drury triumphantly said those words after Eric Dier's decisive spot kick against Colombia in the round of 16, they didn't register for a second. The Three Lions put years of heartache behind them by winning a penalty shootout at the World Cup for the first time. It was just one in a long line of accomplishments that saw Gareth Southgate's side change the perception of English football at this tournament.

France wins 2nd World Cup trophy

Brunt: It was a final result this World Cup deserved, as France and Croatia put on a show to cap off an exciting competition. The two sides got off to a blistering start during an opening 45 minutes that ended with France taking a 2-1 lead into the break. Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe scored another two from outside the box before a Hugo Lloris howler gave Croatia a glimmer of hope. But France managed to hold off Croatia's desperate scoring attempts to win the World Cup 20 years after the country's first triumph on home soil.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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