Brought to you by Incredibles 2, in cinemas July 13
The second round is over and we’re not quite sure what to do
It has been an incredible three weeks of football in Russia and quite honestly, we’re getting a little bit sad about the fact that there are just eight games left, as of today.
But we’re not going to let ourselves get down over this. There’s still football to look forward to, as well as some stunning games to look back upon fondly.
There are now eight teams left in Russia, and England are one of them. Yes, England won a penalty shoot-out and will now face Sweden in the quarter-finals.
With this in mind and ahead of the release of Incredibles 2 later this month, we’ve decided to take a look back through the last week of footballing fun and figure out which four footballers have shown the most superhuman ability.
Strongest
Marouane Fellaini
If the planet was in danger, Fellaini would be top of the list of people you’d want to protect it on the front line, much like Mr. Incredible.
The walking talking plan B drew Belgium level after they had gone 2-0 down to Japan with a crucial header. Fellaini towered over the helpless Japanese defenders and did what he does best: nodded in the cross.
Fastest
Kylian Mbappé
It wouldn’t surprise me if Didier Deschamps was giving Mbappé the same treatment Dash receives, telling him to slow down so the opposition players avoid embarrassment, to be honest.
That run. You know the one. It’s still 0-0 between France and Argentina, until Kylian Mbappé spots a loose ball. Before Argentina can react, he is flying past players at will, ripping straight through their defenders who look like they’re walking through treacle. It ends with Marcos Rojo resorting to fouling him inside the box and giving France a penalty which Antoine Griezmann cooly dispatched.
Most Flexible
Jordan Pickford
It’d be a tough call between him and Elastigirl if you were picking your ideal goalkeeper for a penalty shootout.
England’s hero made the save of the tournament before repeating his heroics in the subsequent penalty shootout. With just additional time remaining before full time, as the ball dropped between Jesse Lingard and Jordan Henderson and neither player moved to clear it, Mateus Uribe arrived. The Colombian saw an opportunity that he had to take, jumped high enough to get over the bouncing ball and unleashed a powerful shot from 40-odd yards that so nearly flew into the top corner.
Jordan Pickford’s quick footwork and snap decision to change hands and stretch with his left to tip it wide for the corner displayed incredible agility and flexibility. Colombia scored from the resulting corner, but the quality of Pickford’s save should not be forgotten.
Most defensive-minded
Harry Maguire
Much like Violet, Maguire is an understated character who gets the job done with minimal fuss and doesn’t seek the limelight.
A year ago, very few people would have imagined that Maguire would have forced his way into England’s starting XI, but his composure on the ball, aerial ability and physicality make him the ideal third component in Gareth Southgate’s three man defence. In Tuesday’s match, as Colombia wrestled control of the game and tried to find Radamel Falcao, Maguire always seemed to get himself in the way and was vital in keeping Colombia out until the very last minute. He was beaten in the air by Yerry Mina for Colombia’s goal, but it happens. For 92 minutes and in extra time, he was flawless.
