Bird’s-Eye Brilliance: Very Best Of ‘Top Shot’ Photos Captured By AFP Throughout World Cup

Chris Wright

16th, July 2018

2 Comments

With the World Cup over, so begins the mammoth 18-day football-less wait until the new English season kicks-off in Reading, of all places.

To help fill the gap, Pies have knocked up a little collection of some of our favourite images from the tournament just gone – namely the AFP’s brilliantly surreal ‘Topshot’ photos.

The AFP stationed some of their photographers on stadium roofs throughout the World Cup to capture these excellent ‘top down’ images of the action taking place below, giving the resulting pictures a sort of surreal ‘dislocated’ feel – almost as if each was carefully staged.

In no particular order, here are but a few of the best as plucked from the Getty Images archives…

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Ricardo Quaresma unleashes his match-winning ‘trivela’ shot against Iran in Sochi

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Lionel Messi celebrates on his lonesome after scoring against Nigeria

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Poland players stretch before playing Colombia in Kazan

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Antoine Griezmann pulls the ball of the sky against Australia

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Fabian Delph does likewise against Panama, but with a little more panache

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Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa celebrates El Tri’s match-winning goal against Germany

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Diego Costa is in the mix as Spain desperately try to force ball over line against Iran

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Colombia players warm up in Kazan for their game against Russia

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Willy Caballero sits dejected after conceding a long-range goal from Luka Modric

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Neymar screams in what we’re certain he’d call ‘agony’ after falling over against Switzerland

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Cristiano Ronaldo comes into land after scoring against Spain

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Victor Moses takes off again after slotting home a penalty against Argentina

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Christian Eriksen drops to his knees after scoring against Australia

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Sergio Ramos watches as Sergei Ignashevich’s own-goal ricochets past Igor Akinfeev

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Blaise Matuidi and Edison Flores dance the Tango de la Muerte

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Japan’s Yuya Osako rises highest to score the winning goal against Colombia

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Germany midfielder Sebastian Rudy lies broken and bloodied on the pitch

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Croatia celebrate with their fans after beating Argentina in Group D

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Aziz Bouhaddouz lies prostrate after scoring an own-goal for Morocco against Iran

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Kasper Schmeichel dives to keep France at bay

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Toni Kroos hits the top corner for Germany against Sweden

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Marcos Rojo struggles to keep the emotions in check after scoring his last-gasp winner against Nigeria

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Neymar and Paulinho celebrate scoring against Mexico with a double-decker

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Kylian Mbappe charges off to celebrate after rounding Franco Armani to score against Argentina

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Cristiano Ronaldo is left to lament Portugal’s last 16 exit to Uruguay.

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Russia players celebrate after winning their penalty shootout against Spain

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Kylian Mbappe skips past Jan Vertonghen.

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Keiran Trippier’s freekick goes flying past Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subasic

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Paul Pogba slots away his goal against Croatia in the final

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France duo Presnel Kimpembe and Thomas Lemar go sliding through the ticker tape

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France players run amok with Tricolore flags after winning the World Cup

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Les Bleus claim their golden prize at the end of a long and arduous campaign

Posted in Featured, Photos, World Cup

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2 Comments

  1. Nuno says:

    Nice photos, I thought at first they were taken with that hovering / spider camera, or how it is called. But “Colombia players warm up in Kazan for their game against Russia” – Colombia Russia? Must have missed that match

  2. Dr O'nun Nonoun says:

    Rice paper, i bought a FIAT and then was taken with that hovering / spider camembert, oh how it is callous. British Columbia prayers warmed up inked Aztecs for their grave allegiance to Russia’s -Cauliflower Rustler? Must have miffed that math

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