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15th July 2018
08:08pm BST
The best way to describe Philippe Coutinho's performances in Russia were that they were exactly what you'd expect from the Barcelona star.
Across five games, he netted twice - one a beauty, a typical beauty - and he notched up two assists as well but he was the most important, most consistent player for the pre-tournament favourites.
He was measured, he was controlled, he was unlocking defences with deft touches and weighted passes and he had clutch too. It was his 90th minute goal that spared the Brazilians embarrassment against Costa Rica and it was his delightful up-and-down chip that dragged them back into the game against Belgium when they looked all-but-beaten.
https://twitter.com/RTEsoccer/status/1008414959393431553
But the RTÉ panel for the final - which included Dietmar Hamann, Liam Brady and Eamon Dunphy - went for Antoine Griezmann ahead of Philippe Coutinho in their World Cup team of the tournament.
The French star - and now World Cup winner - scored four times to equal the feat of four other players in the 2018 competition but he came up two short of Harry Kane. Griezmann wasn't half as electrifying as he was in the 2016 European Championships though, nor was he as deserving of a place as Coutinho was.
Harry Kane didn't make the list either. In fact, no English outfielder did but there was room for Jordan Pickford, who kept just one clean sheet in the whole tournament but he did produce a number of fine stops.
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