World Cup 2018: The Best Combined XI from the Round-of-16
With only 8 games left in the 2018 World Cup, only 8 teams remain in the tournament with a shot at the trophy - Russia, Uruguay, France, Croatia, Sweden, Brazil, Belgium and England. The RO16 saw a few favourites bite the dust, while a few favourites soldiered on, indifferent to the pandemonium around them.
As one would expect, this round several superstars rise to the occasion and deliver the goods, while some failed to make an impact. In some cases, the individual brilliance was not enough for their team to secure passage to the next stage.
That being said, here's a look at the 2018 World Cup Round of 16's team comprising of the best XI players:
Goalkeeper
Igor Akinfeev (Russia)
There are several goalkeepers who performed admirably in this round - Denmark's Kasper Schmeichel, Croatia's Subasic, England's Jordan Pickford - but there is something about a 32-year-old national hero who holds his own ground against former champions in front of a 78,000 crowd.
Igor Akinfeev, captain extraordinaire of the CSKA Moscow team and the Russian national team, was responsible for his side's first knockout victory in WCs, and made two great saves in the penalty shootout - against Koke and Iago Aspas, to send a nation of more than a 100 million into a night of partying.
It was not only the penalty shootout where he excelled. He also made several vital saves (9) prior to that to deny Isco and the Spaniards for the course of 120 minutes, and then outdid David De Gea in the shootout to make his nation proud.
Honorary mention: Kasper Schmeichel (Denmark)
Denmark might have lost out to Croatia, but they produced one of the finest displays of the WC so far, and deserve to keep their head held high at the end of it. Kasper Schmeichel saved 3 penalties on the night, including one off Luka Modric in the second half of extra time to take the game into penalties in the first place.
The son of Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel, Kasper has built a name of his own winning the PL with Leicester City, and now being part of a Danish side that is capable of going off against the traditional powerhouses of European football.