2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage

The knockout stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup was the second and final stage of the competition, following the group stage. It began on 30 June with the round of 16 and ended on 15 July with the final match, held at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. The top two teams from each group (16 in total) advanced to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination style tournament. A match for third place was also played between the two losing teams of the semi-finals.

France won the final 4–2 against Croatia for their second title, while Belgium won the match for third place 2–0 over England.

All times listed are local time.

Format

In the knockout stage, if a match was level at the end of 90 minutes of normal playing time, extra time was played (two periods of 15 minutes each), where each team was allowed to make a fourth substitution. If still tied after extra time, the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winners.

Qualified teams

The top two placed teams from each of the eight groups qualified for the knockout stage.

Bracket

Round of 16

France vs Argentina

The teams had faced each other in 11 previous matches, including two World Cup group stage matches, both won by Argentina (1–0 in 1930, and 2–1 in 1978).

After nine minutes, Antoine Griezmann's 25-yard free-kick crashed back off Franco Armani's crossbar. After picking the ball up deep inside his own half, Kylian Mbappé set off on a run that was halted when Marcos Rojo hauled him down just inside the area. Griezmann stepped up and converted from the spot, sending the ball low to Armani's right. Four minutes before the interval, Ángel Di María shot from distance with his left foot to beat Hugo Lloris into the top right corner of the net. Three minutes after the restart, Éver Banega's free-kick was headed out towards Lionel Messi whose effort towards goal from the right was diverted past Lloris by Gabriel Mercado with his left leg. Nine minutes later, Lucas Hernandez's cross from the left found Benjamin Pavard, who shot a half-volley from outside the area, sending it into Armani's top-right corner. Pavard’s goal was later voted the best goal of the tournament. Mbappé put France ahead again in the 64th minute when he picked up a loose ball in the left of the area, found a yard of space and fired in low with his left foot under Armani. His second – a first-time low finish from the right of the penalty area with his right foot – followed just four minutes later. Sergio Agüero nodded home in the third minute of stoppage time from a Messi cross from the right. Argentina, however, was unable to equalize to send the match to extra-time from being eliminated of the tournament . This game was hailed as "one of the greatest World Cup games of all time" by The Independent.

With this match, Didier Deschamps became the longest-serving coach in the history of the France national team with his 80th game in charge of France, moving ahead of his predecessor Raymond Domenech. Mbappé became the first teenager to score at least twice in a World Cup tournament since Michael Owen in 1998, and the first teenager to score at least twice in a single World Cup match since Pelé netted twice for Brazil against Sweden in the 1958 final. Argentina became the first team to score at least three goals but still lose a World Cup match since the Soviet Union vs Belgium in 1986, and was also the first time that Argentina had been eliminated in the round of 16 since 1994, when they were defeated by Romania.

Uruguay vs Portugal

The teams had met in two previous matches, most recently in Brazil Independence Cup in 1972, the match ending in a 1–1 draw.

In the seventh minute, Edinson Cavani switched play from right to left with a sweeping pass out to Luis Suárez, who delivered a cross which the former crashed home at the back post from six yards out. In the 55th minute, Raphaël Guerreiro delivered a cross from a short corner on the left, which Pepe finished with a downward header. Just seven minutes later, Rodrigo Bentancur collected the ball around 30 yards out and slipped a pass out to Cavani on the left side of the penalty area, Cavani then shot a curling right-foot strike into the right corner of the net to reclaim the lead for Uruguay. Bernardo Silva shot off-target with the goal gaping after Fernando Muslera's mistake, with Cavani seeming to pick up an injury in the scramble.

Pepe, aged 35 years and 124 days, became Portugal's oldest goal-scorer at a FIFA World Cup. This was the first time Uruguay won their opening four games at a World Cup tournament since 1930, with the fourth game in that run being their 4–2 victory over Argentina in the final.

Spain vs Russia

The teams had met in six previous games, most recently in a friendly in 2017, which ended in a 3–3 draw. Playing as the Soviet Union, the teams had faced each other five times. Russia only had one victory over Spain.

In the 12th minute, Marco Asensio's free-kick from deep on the right saw Sergei Ignashevich grappling with Sergio Ramos at the back post, the ball bouncing past Igor Akinfeev off the defender's heel. Russia were then awarded a penalty when the ball bounced off Artem Dzyuba’s head onto Gerard Piqué’s arm in the box after a corner from the right. Artem Dzyuba shot home to the right of the net from 12 yards to send the sides into half-time level. In the 85th minute, Akinfeev got down low to his right to save a shot from Andrés Iniesta, the goalkeeper then denied Iago Aspas on the rebound. Piqué and Ramos both appeared to be held from a set-piece but, after a VAR check, the referee waved away Spain's appeals. In the penalty shoot-out, Akinfeev kept out a Koke effort and saw Aspas' effort diverted away by his leg to give Russia the win; as all Russia's penalty kicks ended up successful.

This result meant Spain lost three of their four World Cup penalty shoot-outs (after losing to Belgium in 1986, beating the Republic of Ireland in 2002 and losing to South Korea in 2002), and had still never defeated a host nation at the FIFA World Cup, after losing to Italy 0–1 in 1934, Brazil 1–6 in 1950, and South Korea after penalties in 2002. Russia reached the quarter-final of the World Cup for the first time since the break-up of the Soviet Union. Also was the first win of Russia in a knockout stage of World Cup since 1966, still like Soviet Union. Ignashevich became the oldest player to score an own goal at the World Cup, aged 38 years and 352 days. The match marked the first time in the history of the FIFA World Cup in which a fourth substitution was made during extra time, after Aleksandr Yerokhin of Russia entered the pitch in the 97th minute.

Croatia vs Denmark

The teams had met in five matches, which included two matches played in 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification, the first fixture ending in a 1–1 draw and the reverse fixture a 3–1 Denmark win.

In the first minute, a long throw into the Croatia penalty area by Jonas Knudsen, allowed a run to Thomas Delaney who touched the ball on to Mathias Jørgensen, who side-footed it into the net via deflections off goalkeeper Danijel Subašić and the post. After three minutes, Šime Vrsaljko's ball into the box reached Henrik Dalsgaard, whose clearance hit Andreas Christensen in the face and saw Mario Mandžukić tucking the ball between Kasper Schmeichel and the left post with a shot on the turn from six yards. During extra time, Ante Rebić burst clear of the Denmark defence and was felled by Mathias Jørgensen when he was clean through on goal, only for Schmeichel to save Luka Modrić's spot-kick by diving down to his left and clutching the ball to his chest. In the shoot-out, Subašić tipped off Christian Eriksen's penalty onto the post but Schmeichel saved from Milan Badelj to bring the sides level. Lasse Schöne's shot was saved by Subašić and Josip Pivarić was denied by an acrobatic Schmeichel stop. On the final spot kicks for both the teams, Nicolai Jørgensen took a shot from a staggered run-up which Subašić saved with his feet, before Ivan Rakitić slotted the ball into the bottom left corner of the net.

Croatia qualified for their first World Cup quarter-final since 1998.

Brazil vs Mexico

The teams had met in 40 previous matches including two games at CONCACAF Gold Cup finals (1996 and 2003, both won by Mexico), the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup Final (won 4–3 by Mexico), and four times in the FIFA World Cup group stage, three won by Brazil and one ending in a draw (4–0 in 1950, 5–0 in 1954, 2–0 in 1962 and 0–0 in 2014).

Hirving Lozano's half-volley was well blocked by Miranda, while at the other end, Guillermo Ochoa saved Neymar's drive from just outside the penalty area. After 25 minutes, Neymar raced past Edson Álvarez in the area and forced Ochoa into a save with his left hand. Gabriel Jesus went close in the 33rd minute, finding space in a crowded area and drilling in a left-footed strike that Ochoa palmed away. In the 51st minute, Neymar's back-heel on the edge of the area teed up Willian for a burst into the box and his scuffed cross from the left was slid into an empty net by Neymar from close range. With two minutes remaining, Neymar powered through on the left and his low effort was diverted by Ochoa's foot into the path of Roberto Firmino, who tapped the ball into an empty net from close range.