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We’re counting down to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ by showcasing a golazo from the global finals each day.
Denis Cheryshev
Russia v Croatia
Russia 2018 | Quarter-finals
Fisht Stadium, Sochi
Denis Cheryshev was distraught. The winger was one of two men Fabio Capello cut from his provisional list when naming his final squad for Brazil 2014. Cheryshev consoled himself with the thought that, four years later, he’d be at his peak and representing Russia in packed-out stadiums at a home World Cup.
Then it all went downhill. Cheryshev struggled with injuries, and for playing time at Real Madrid, Villarreal and Valencia. As Russia 2018 approached, the Nizhny Novgorod native’s hopes looked shot. Stanislav Cherchesov nevertheless handed his former team-mate’s son a shock recall, after two-and-a-half years in the international wilderness, and despite limited action, Cheryshev sneaked into the final squad.
Cheryshev got another break in Russia’s opener, and the No6 made the most of being brought off the bench in the 24th minute by bagging a brace in a 5-0 thrashing of Saudi Arabia. Both Cheryshev’s goals were glorious, but an even better one followed against Croatia in the quarter-finals.
The 27-year-old collected a loose ball, shifted to the right of Ivan Rakitic, played a one-two with Artem Dzyuba, evaded the sliding Luka Modric, and curled it into the top corner at pace. It proved narrowly insufficient to edge Russia into the semi-finals, but it saw Cheryshev finish joint-second on the tournament’s scoring chart alongside VIPS Antoine Griezmann, Romelu Lukaku, Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo.
