The 2018 FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals have concluded, leaving just four teams left in the biggest tournament on earth. The players that stood out the most in each match have been rewarded with Man of the Match upgrades in the 2018 FIFA World Cup update for FIFA 18.
With the best national teams in the world converging on Russia this summer to compete for the sport's biggest trophy, if you missed it, we've released the 2018 FIFA World Cup update for FIFA 18. World Cup Ultimate Team, a mode exclusive to the update, allows you to recruit the top players from every qualified national team to create your own international dream squad.
Since all World Cup Ultimate Team player items are live items, they can get ratings upgrades whenever the player receives a MOTM award for their performance in the real-life tournament. The next set of Man of the Match items are below. If you want to find out every MOTM item from the tournament thus far, visit our MOTM hub.
All World Cup FUT items can only be found in the version of Ultimate Team that is in the World Cup update, not in the regular FIFA 18 Ultimate Team mode.
Day 1
Just in case there was ever any doubt, France proved in their 2-0 quarterfinal victory over Uruguay that they are, indeed, the real deal. Defender Raphael Varane notched France's first goal after a delightful free kick assist from Antoine Griezmann, who iced the victory midway through the second half when Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera bobbled the Frenchman's shot from distance and let it trickle past him and into the net.
The day's other quarterfinal was a much closer affair as Belgium managed a 2-1 win over Brazil. Another mistake gave Belgium their first goal when Brazil's Fernandinho headed a Nacer Chadli cross into his own net. Not long after, Kevin De Bruyne finished a sweeping counterattack with a rocket of a shot from the edge of the box that put the improbable Europeans 2-0 up on the South American side. De Bruyne ran the match for his side, with help from many teammates, most notably Eden Hazard. Brazil pulled a goal back through Renato Augusto late in the second half and saw a solid shift from left-back Marcelo throughout the match, but they never found a way to claw their way into it before the final whistle.
Day 2
All fairy tales have to end, especially in a cutthroat competition like the World Cup. Sweden's incredible run to the quarterfinals in Russia was a spectacle to behold, but even the most devout fan of the Blågult knew that it probably wouldn't last. They finally came to their last stop, losing 2-0 to England after the Three Lions notched two fairly pedestrian goals. Defender Harry Maguire grabbed the first after nodding it in from a corner kick in the first half, while Dele All scored the second from a superb deep cross by Jesse Lingard. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford continued his remarkable tournament with a handful of fantastic saves that left the Swedes and their fans in disbelief.
The only quarterfinal match to go to a penalty shootout was definitely the most exciting of the bunch, as Croatia barely slipped by Russia with a 4-3 shootout score. A first-half goal for each side sent the match into extra time after 90 minutes, and each team scored again in extra time to send it to the shootout. Luka Modric pulled the strings as usual, slowly picking Russia apart throughout the match and scoring one of Croatia's four penalties in the shootout. Alan Dzagoev was a bright spot for Russia; he also scored in the shootout and assisted Mario Fernandes' extra time equalizer.
FIFA 18 is Available Now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Stay in the conversation on all things FIFA by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter and Instagram, and participating in the official FIFA Forums.
Sign-up to receive emails about EA SPORTS FIFA and EA products, news, events, and promotions.
