Top 10 moments of World Cup 2018


Host nation: Qatar Dates: 20 November-18 December Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app. Day-by-day TV listingsFull coverage details

There were great games, great goals and great heartbreaks in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

But what were the greatest moments of the tournament?

Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards discussed the topic in the latest Match of the Day: Top 10 podcast.

You can listen to the podcast on BBC Sounds and have your say by ranking your choices at the bottom of this page.

Harry Kane Golden Boot (Richards: 10th, Shearer: 3rd)

Harry Kane and Gareth Southgate
Harry Kane receives the Golden Boot from Gareth Southgate

England captain Harry Kane won the Golden Boot after finishing as the World Cup’s top scorer with six goals.

Richards: Some of those goals were questionable. I’m Kane’s biggest fan, but the goals weren’t great.

Shearer: A Golden Boot speaks for itself. Whether some goals were a fluke or not, only two Englishmen have ever won that.

Lineker: He’s world class, there’s no doubt about that.

Mbappe bursts onto the scene (Richards: 9th, Shearer: 2nd)

Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe was not even born when France won the World Cup on home soil in 1998

Despite being just 19 at this World Cup, his two goals were enough to wipe out Argentina, announcing his supreme talent to the world.

Richards: He is just the best because he’s got everything and has so many strings to his bow. Usually when you have that much pace, you have no talent!

Shearer: What a talent.

Lineker: He’s going into that Messi and Ronaldo stratosphere.

Germany crash out in the groups (Richards: 8th, Shearer: 6th)

Mario Gomez
Mario Gomez reacts following their defeat to South Korea

Defending champions Germany were eliminated from the tournament at the group stage, following a 2-0 defeat by South Korea, in one of the biggest shocks in the competition’s history. They also suffered an opening loss to Mexico.

Richards: I was stunned when I was watching it.

Shearer: It was refreshing to see Germany being pretty hopeless, rather than England, which has happened so many times!

Spain v Russia (Richards: 7th, Shearer: 7th)

Aleksandr Erokhin
Goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was Russia’s penalty hero, denying Koke and then Iago Aspas to spark scenes of delirious celebration at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium

Hosts Russia pulled off one of the biggest shocks of the World Cup, defeating 2010 winners Spain in the first penalty shootout of the tournament to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in 48 years.

Shearer: Just unbelievable. I can’t remember who took the penalty for Russia, but I remember the commentator saying ‘there are 42,000 people watching him’ and I just thought, ‘no pressure then’.

Lineker: I don’t think anyone saw it coming but it’s always great for a home nation to do well in a tournament.

The final of France v Croatia (Richards: 6th, Shearer 5th)

France celebrate with the fans
France’s victory meant Didier Deschamps, who captained them 20 years ago, became just the third man to win the competition as a player and coach

The 2018 World Cup final had it all – goals, VAR controversy and a rookie goalkeeping error from Hugo Lloris.

Richards: What was Lloris doing? If I was him, I’d still be kicking myself.

Shearer: It was a good game and encapsulated everything about that World Cup. It deserved a fitting end and it got it.

Kroos free-kick v Sweden (Richards: 5th, Shearer: 10th)

Robin Olsen
Sweden’s goalkeeper Robin Olsen watches Toni Kroos’ free kick go in

Toni Kroos’ injury-time winner against Sweden revived defending champions Germany’s hopes of becoming the first side to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962.

Ronaldo hat-trick against Spain (Richards: 4th, Shearer: 8th)

Ronaldo free-kick
Ronaldo is the oldest hat-trick scorer in World Cup history, with the Portuguese star aged 33 years and 130 days

Cristiano Ronaldo produced one of the great World Cup performances as his dramatic late free-kick earned Portugal a draw with Spain in a classic encounter in Sochi. He opened the scoring with a penalty, before keeper David de Gea made a terrible error and let Ronaldo’s zipping shot through his gloves and over the line.

Richards: The way he bent that free-kick around the wall.

Shearer: I remember that mistake because it was so uncharacteristic of De Gea at the time.

Chadli’s goal for Belgium against Japan (Richards: 3rd, Shearer: 9th)

Chadli scores
Roberto Martinez’s Belgium side were trailing 2-0 when he brought on Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli in the 65th minute. Fellaini scored the equaliser before Chadli netted a 94th-minute winner.

Nacer Chadli scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner to help Belgium complete a remarkable 3-2 revival, as they came from the World Cup abyss to beat Japan and reach the quarter-finals.

Richards: That was a great game, I really enjoyed that. It was Lukaku with the ball over too.

Shearer: I think there golden generation is over now, but they’ve still got some good players.

France v Argentina (Richards: 2nd, Shearer: 4th)

Messi and Mbappe
Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe embraced at full-time

Kylian Mbappe announced himself on football’s biggest stage with two fine goals that gave France a 4-3 victory in a classic World Cup encounter with Argentina, and a place in the quarter-finals.

Richards: That was a great game, it just had everything.

Shearer: There were some incredible goals.

Lineker: The Argentina equaliser was a beauty, Kylian Mbappe was rapid and there were assists from Messi. The game just had everything. Probably one of the best games.

Dier’s penalty for England against Colombia (Richards: 1st, Shearer: 1st)

England players
England players surge to Eric Dier after his spot-kick put the Three Lions through to the quarter-final

It was the win that got the country thinking football was truly coming home: after a closely-fought last 16 match against Colombia ended 1-1, the national team pulled off their first World Cup penalty shootout victory with a perfect spot-kick from Eric Dier.

Richards: It was a great moment for everyone.

Shearer: There’s no doubt that everyone was nervous because of the history but there was no way that England weren’t prepared for it because of Gareth Southgate’s history.

Lineker: I’m not ashamed to say I had a tear in my eye because it was just such a moment. Shearer and I had a hug.



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