Goalkeeper: Yassine Bounou (Morocco) — Two comfortable saves from three spot kicks against Spain in the penalty shootout not only gives the first slot of this XI to Bounou but also earns him a place in the golden chapters of Morocco’s footballing history. Largely unbothered during 120 minutes of action against a wilted Spanish attack, Bounou stepped it up a notch during penalties, making seemingly inevitable saves from Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets besides watching Pablo Sarabia’s shot crash against the woodwork
Right-back: Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands) — In a cagey affair against the US, Dumfries’s speed and superb decision-making in the final third was the difference between the two teams. Having assisted the first two goals, Dumfries produced a fabulous finish to put the game beyond the Americans just when it felt that they might have a lifeline back into the game. Solid as usual with his defensive responsibilities, Dumfries became the first Dutch player to contribute directly to three goals in a World Cup knockout game since a certain Johan Cruyff in 1974
Centre-back: Pepe (Portugal) — On the night he became the oldest outfielder to start a knockout game in the World Cup, the 39-year-old also became the oldest player to score in one, courtesy a bullet header from a corner. Aside from his goal that ended the game against Switzerland as a contest, Pepe looked relatively untroubled in defence, though sterner tests certainly await
Centre-back: Dejan Lovren (Croatia) — He may not have always convinced in Qatar, but Lovren brought his A game against Japan, turning in a 8/10 performance to keep the Asian giant-killers at bay. Never one to try anything fancy from deep, Lovren did what was required of him in defence and supplied the ball steadily to the more creative forces in front of him
Left-back: Raphael Guerreiro (Portugal) — A constant menace down Portugal’s left flank against the Swiss, Guerreiro got a well-deserved goal at the start of the second half when he slotted home from inside the area to cap off a terrific breakaway. Pace, precision and plenty of positivity defined a standout showing for the 28-year-old in national colours
Right-central midfield: Jude Bellingham (England) — After a star turn against Iran in England’s World Cup opener, Bellingham was back to his stellar best against a spirited Senegal team. His decisive run and assist for Jordan Henderson to open the scoring may have been the highlight of his game, but Bellingham was pivotal everytime he got involved in the build-up, with his agility and ambition too much to handle for Senegal
Left-central midfield: Lucas Paqueta (Brazil) — Besides grabbing a sumptuous goal that completed Brazil’s demolition of Korea Republic, Paqueta was here, there and everywhere in the round of 16 encounter. His link-up play with the likes of Neymar and Richarlison showed his new-found confidence in a team that has rarely profited from a classic number 10 in recent times
Right wing: Lionel Messi (Argentina) — Messi rolled back the years against Australia with a bunch of vintage dribbles and hypnotic close control that made for an awesome highlight reel even by his standards. His signature moment arrived on 35 minutes when he showed some neat feet in the box to pass the ball through the legs of Harry Souttar for his first-ever World Cup knockout goal
Left wing: Kylian Mbappe (France) — He was quiet for the first 74 minutes against Poland, having merely set up a record-breaking goal for Olivier Giroud. Then, apparently bored of waiting for things to happen, Mbappe took matters into his own feet. By the end of the match, the most explosive player on the planet had rattled the Polish net twice, taking his World Cup knockout goals tally to five and his overall haul in the tournament to nine, all at just 23
Right striker: Goncalo Ramos (Portugal) — No bookmaker in the world would have had the name of Goncalo Ramos on their charts to score the first hat-trick of this World Cup. And yet, it was the hitherto unheralded marksman who left an indelible mark on his first World Cup start, replacing Cristiano Ronaldo (no less) and doing what CR7 is yet to do. Score in the knockout stages. Ramos did that thrice for good measure, giving his coach Fernando Santos a pleasant selection headache heading into the quarter-finals
Left striker: Richarlison (Brazil) — Thriving as the focal point of a fluid and flamboyant Brazilian attack, Richarlison played a starring role in Brazil’s third and most exotic goal of the night against the Korea Republic. His effortless series of headed juggles was followed by an unerring finish to round off the move of the tournament so far. Apart from that, he was willing to run the channels and keep the Koreans guessing with his shrewd movement and some scintillating touches
