The first round of fixtures are over, but who hit the ground running in the first round of World Cup games? Here’s a look at the best XI so far.
Goalkeeper:
Hannes Þór Halldórsson (Iceland)
The Icelandic goalkeeper became a national hero after saving Lionel Messi’s penalty in their game against Argentina. It meant that his team were able to claim an improbable point, keeping their hopes alive in Group D. The story is made better still considering he’s the only player at the World Cup who needed permission from his employer to participate.
Defence:
Aleksandar Kolarov (Serbia)
Known for his venomous shot, Kolarov came up with the goods to hand Serbia the win with an unstoppable free kick. If you’ve followed his career in Italy or England to any degree, it’s easy to see why he was trusted to fire home from 25 yards. While he’s not the most defensive fullback, he helped to keep a clean sheet despite an injury scare during the warm up.
Andreas Granqvist (Sweden)
Sweden’s captain took a calm penalty to take the lead against South Korea, but that’s no surprise as he notched three during the qualification campaign. At 33, it’s likely to be his last tournament, so sitting atop a group containing Mexico and Germany means they have a good chance of progression into the knockout stages. Granqvist also provided effective cover whenever the opposition looked to counter.
Diego Godín (Uruguay)
With Uruguay desperately searching for a win against Egypt in the last ten minutes, Godin was everywhere as he tried to reinvigorate the players around him. He led by example, and was also solid defensively despite spilling forwards a number of times towards the end. Jose Gimenez got the goal, and Uruguay emerged with three points.
Kieran Trippier (England)
Trippier’s rise to fully fledged England international has been rapid, but he wasn’t out of his depth in his first game of the tournament. He was a positive outlet for an England side that struggled to break down Tunisia during the second half, providing six key passes over ninety minutes.
Midfield:
Alexandr Golovin (Russia)
The opposition might have lacklustre in Russia’s opener, but that doesn’t take away from the performance of Alexandr Golovin. The midfielder provided two assists as they put on a show for home supporters against Saudi Arabia, and will have to be on form when they come up against a sterner test of their credentials.
Luka Modric (Croatia)
Luka Modric kept his team ticking against a limited Nigeria side, shining along with Ivan Rakitić in the heart of Croatia’s midfield. The duo were a class apart, and secured the win despite Nikola Kalinic’s refusal to come on as a substitute due to a back injury. They face Argentina on Thursday, and will look to Modric once again when they need to dictate play.
Hector Herrera (México)
A famous win over Germany will see Hirving Lozano taking much of the credit as the goalscorer, but Hector Herrera also played a large part in the win. He completed eight successful tackles from midfield against the current World Cup holders, causing the Porto man to attract reported interest from Premier League teams.
Forwards:
Hirving Lozano (Mexico)
Mexico’s forward is well known to FIFA 18 players and anyone paying attention to the Eredivisie. His goal against Germany cemented his status as a hot young talent in world football, and he has also been the subject of reported interest from Arsenal and Liverpool. Another eye-catching performance would likely add to his proposed £42,000,000 price tag.
Harry Kane (England)
As the youngest England captain to play at a World Cup, Harry Kane shouldered the responsibility of a nation despite playing poorly at times. Two goals with two attempts sums up his clinical nature, while he could have had more if not for WWE style antics in the box. He’s in the hunt for the golden boot, but if there’s one man who could stop him..
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Portugal’s talisman rose to the occasion spectacularly against Spain. He curled in a perfect free-kick to complete his hat-trick, drawing the tie level at 3-3. On current form he’s unplayable, and he makes Portugal a scary prospect despite clear limitations throughout their squad.
Bench:
Branislav Ivanovic (Serbia) - Rolled back the years in defence for Serbia.
Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) - Scored two to finish off Panama.
Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium) - Beautiful assist for Lukaku’s opener.
John Stones (England) - Hardly misplaced a pass all night.
Diego Costa (Spain) - Proved why he was chosen to lead the line for Spain.
Guillermo Ochoa (México) - Made nine saves against Germany.
Yuya Osako (Japan) Scored an improbable winner for Japan against Colombia.
It’s important not to peak too early, but there’s nothing wrong with a Man of the Match display at the World Cup. What do you think of the first round XI? Would you make any changes?
Comments