The last day of group stage action in the 2018 World Cup didn’t see many goals, but it did see very meaningful ones as England, Belgium, Colombia, and Japan all earned their place in the knockout rounds. But which goals stood out as the best? That kind of question is what we’re here for.
All the goals from World Cup Day 15, ranked
From Januzaj to Bednarek, plus Own Goal strikes again.
Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images
6. Own goal gives Panama the lead
This was initially credited to Jose Luis Rodriguez, in which case it would be ranked a lot higher, but then it was given as an own goal, and while Own Goal is the best player at the 2018 World Cup, we do not celebrate his accomplishments.
5. Jan Bednarek gives Poland their only win in this World Cup
It’s a pretty finish off good free kick, and it gave the Poland national team some degree of consolation in a World Cup that they performed very, very poorly in. Unfortunately, it also set up an absolutely dire end to a match that Japan knew they could lose as long as it was only by one goal and as long as they didn’t give up too many yellow cards. That wasn’t as fun as the goal.
4. Khazri completes Tunisia’s comeback
Entering this World Cup, I really liked this Tunisia team, as while they didn’t have a ton of talent, they did try to link passes together and play actual soccer. No one would have faulted them for packing it in and defending, but they actually tried to play. It backfired horribly in the first two games, but in this one, it was delightful to see them succeed.
3. Yerry Mina punches Colombia’s ticket to the knockout rounds
Mina’s header off a late corner against Senegal may not have been the prettiest goal we’ve seen in the World Cup so far, but it’s rife with meaning, winning the match for Colombia and sending them to the knockout rounds when they came into the day with very few scenarios for advancement. It was a huge moment in the tournament, and one that Colombia fans will treasure for awhile after the rough start they had to this tournament.
2. Ben Youssef finishes off a beautiful team goal for Tunisia
See what we’re saying about Tunisia? This is a beautiful team goal, intricate passing and movement, and finished beautifully by Ben Youssef.
1. Januzaj did a very good, though possibly bad, thing
The thing about the Belgium - England game is that a goal wasn’t really desired by either team. Thanks to a lopsided bracket, it was actually decently beneficial to go ahead and lose this game. So of course it was a flawless strike from Adnan Januzaj in the top corner that separated the two teams. Though I think the “kick the ball into his own face” celebration from Michy Batshuayi was more fitting.
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By Nate Scott and Kelsey Russo
