The 2018 FIFA World Cup has started with a bang and while the favourites are yet trying to make their mark, Portugal and hosts Russia have set off to a convincing start to qualify for the next round.
With another week of football ending in Russia at the world’s biggest stage, here are some of the best goals at the tournament so far.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal vs Spain
In Portugal’s opening match against Spain, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brilliant hattrick but it was his final goal that stole the show. The free-kick specialist hit a perfect goal as the ball landed in the top corner of the right post beyond David De Gea’s reach.
Luka Modric - Croatia vs Argentina
Playing against Argentina can be quite intimidating but not for Luka Modric. The Croatian scored the second goal in the second group stage match against Argentina on Thursday night and it was beyond this world. A classic goal from the 32-year-old Real Madrid playing, switching from left to the right side, he hit a perfectly timed low shot to the right side of the net.
Dries Mertens - Belgium vs Panama City
The Belgian team are at their peak and while they are considered to be the underdogs of the tournament with the likes of Lukaku and Mertens in the firepower, they are out there to prove themselves. Mertens after several misses, finally netted a magnificent goal after he received a perfect volley from Panama’s captain Torres just inside the right side of the box.
Philippe Coutinho - Brazil vs Switzerland
The Samba boys have a lot of fans all over the world and known for their swift dribbling skills, they are one of the favourites at the tournament. Even though they couldn’t pull off a win in their first match against Switzerland, Coutinho gave us a taste of Brazilian genius with his top-corner goal that was simply like a fireball against Switzerland.
Harry Kane - England vs Tunisia
While the English team has not been at their best at the last two World Cups, they seem to have come prepared this time around because Harry Kane is on fire. Playing Tunisia in their opener, captain Harry Kane took the responsibility of getting his team a win and scored a brilliant close-range goal into the net in the final minutes of the match after receiving a header from Harry Maguire through a corner.
Denis Cheryshev - Russia vs Saudi Arabia
Going into the competition not many people have had high hopes from Russia but the host nation is proving everybody wrong. In their opening match against Saudi Arabia, Denis Cheryshev scored a screamer from outside the box with an out-footer shot that went past the Saudi Arabian goalkeeper before he could get a good look at it.
Aleksandar Kolarov - Serbia vs Costa Rica
Kolarov has been quite impressive in League games and the Serbian captain took it a step further with a textbook top-corner free-kick against Costa Rica. The left-footed defender landed the ball perfectly beyond the reach of Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who reacted late.