Benjamin Pavard’s stunning strike France’s last 16 win over Argentina has been voted as the best goal of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
The defender, who showed superb technique by striking the ball with the outside of his foot from distance to fire it into the top corner, received the most votes cast by three million fans on the FIFA website.
Pavard’s wonder goal, which was scored in the 57th minute, saw France draw level at 2-2 after strikes by Angel Di Maria and Gabriel Mercado had given Argentina a 2-1 lead.
???OFFICIAL: @BenPavard28's stunning goal for @FrenchTeam v Argentina has been chosen as the @Hyundai_Global #WorldCup Goal of the Tournament!https://t.co/U0WEmz7dOM pic.twitter.com/BnsbNWoCKI
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 25, 2018
France went on to beat Argentina 4-3 with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice. France also went on to win the tournament, beating Croatia 4-2 in the final.
“Proud, honoured, and always a little hard to believe,” Pavard wrote on Twitter after the vote was announced on Wednesday. “Thank you all for your posts.”
Juan Quintero’s clever free-kick for Colombia against Japan was voted second while Luka Modric’s brilliant long-range strike for Croatia against Argentina was voted third.