Maguire makes the cut in quarter-final best rated XI

And then there were four. Croatia’s penalty shootout win over Russia, their second such successive triumph, set up the midweek semi-final meetings, with France up against Belgium and England facing off against Croatia with a spot in the World Cup final up for grabs. 

Here, we run through our best-rated XI from the quarter-finals… 

Thibaut Courtois - Belgium 

Some didn’t think Belgium had it in them to overcome Brazil, yet the Red Devils played a blinder to beat the Selecao. A Fernandinho own goal and a second half Kevin De Bruyne thunderbolt earned a 2-1 win, but it could’ve been so different for Belgium had Thibaut Courtois not excelled between the sticks. The goalkeeper made nine saves in the victory, including a stunning stop to deny Neymar late on, and with a WhoScored.com rating of 8.37, he edges Jordan Pickford out of the team of the round. 

Benjamin Pavard - France 

While we didn’t see another Benjamin Pavard wonder strike in the quarter-finals, though it wasn’t for want of trying with the young defender having one shot in France’s 2-0 win over Uruguay. Pavard also made one successful dribble in the victory, but it was his defensive work that impressed, with the 22-year-old on hand to make two tackles, two interceptions and five clearances. An 87.5% pass success rate helped return a WhoScored.com rating of 7.75. 

Raphael Varane - France  

Pavard’s compatriot Raphael Varane makes the cut with a WhoScored.com rating of 8.39. The 25-year-old won seven aerial duels over the course of the match and an additional seven clearances was certainly impressive as Varane maximised his ability to be in the right place at the right time to alleviate pressure on Hugo Lloris’ goal. He netted the opener with a glancing header to turn in Antoine Griezmann’s free-kick past Fernando Muslera as the centre-back put in a solid defensive shift. 

Harry Maguire - England 

Partnering Varane at the back is England’s man mountain Harry Maguire. The centre-back churned out a colossal defensive performance, winning 10 aerial duels; no player in the quarter-finals won more. Six clearances, one tackle and one interception highlighted a notable display at the back, while his first half header to put England ahead on their way to a 2-0 win over Sweden helped Maguire earn a WhoScored.com rating of 8.77. 

Marcelo - Brazil 

Rounding off the defence is Brazilian left-back Marcelo. Brazil may have flattered to deceive against Belgium, despite creating 24 goalscoring chances against the Red Devils, but Marcelo impressed regardless. He made four interceptions and one tackle on the night, while four key passes and a 92.8% pass success rate saw him earn a WhoScored.com rating of 7.42, better than any other left-back in the quarter-finals. 

Kieran Trippier - England 

Moving forward and next up is Kieran Trippier. The Tottenham full-back has been exceptional at the World Cup so far and his performance in England’s 2-0 win over Sweden was par for the course for the Spurs ace in Russia. He created one goalscoring chance in the victory, all the while limiting the impact of the Sweden attack down his side of the pitch as he made two tackles and two interceptions. It was a solid performance from Trippier, who gained a WhoScored.com rating of 7.35 in the win. 

Luka Modric - Croatia 

With a WhoScored.com rating of 9.19, Luka Modric was our player of the quarter-finals. He was second for successful dribbles (8), top for passes (102), and no player has won possession in the midfield third more times than Modric (11) in a World Cup match so far than he did against Russia. The midfielder also scored his penalty in Croatia’s shootout win to cap off an impressive performance from the deep-lying schemer. 

Jesse Lingard - England 

Jesse Lingard’s performance flew somewhat under the radar, with Pickford and Maguire drawing the plaudits, but the Manchester United man was superb for England against Sweden. He provided the assist for Dele Alli’s second half headed goal, that coming from his sole key pass, while four successful dribbles helped peg the Sweden defence back. In addition, he made one tackle and kept England ticking over with a pass success rate of 93.5%, with his showing enough to earn a WhoScored.com rating of 8.20. 

Eden Hazard - Belgium 

Rounding off the midfield is Belgium captain Eden Hazard. While he didn’t have a direct hand in a goal against Brazil, the wing-wizard was a constant menace throughout the victory over the Selecao. He ran riot as he completed nine successful dribbles in Belgium’s 2-1 win, with Brazil resorting to fouling to halt Hazard, with the Red Devils skipper fouled seven times. He also won four aerial duels as Hazard earned a WhoScored.com rating of 8.12. 

Kevin De Bruyne - Belgium 

Roberto Martinez sprung a surprise against Brazil as he started Romelu Lukaku one the right flank and Kevin De Bruyne through the middle. The Manchester City man didn’t disappoint either as he scored a delightful goal to cap off a fine counter-attack to seal Belgium’s semi-final spot in a rampant opening half hour. Three key passes, one successful dribble and one tackle ensured De Bruyne made the WhoScored.com team of the quarter-finals with a rating of 8.17. 

Antoine Griezmann - France 

Partnering De Bruyne on the frontline is France forward Antoine Griezmann. The Frenchman put in a man of the match display in the 2-0 win over Uruguay as he scored one and assisted another to return a WhoScored.com rating of 9.03, that second to Modric in the player of the round race. His goal and assist came from two shots and three key passes, respectively, while Griezmann worked tirelessly when out of possession to make a round-high five tackles to help Les Bleus secure a semi-final spot.