The 21st edition of the FIFA World Cup got off to a flyer in Russia. The first round of matches had all the ingredients to make a tournament successful. Interestingly, the so called underdogs or the less fancied teams in the tournament dominated the first round of the duel. Teams like Senegal,Japan,Iran and Mexico defeated their more established opponents in Poland,Colombia,Morocco and Germany respectively.Other smaller teams like Iceland,Switzerland outperformed favourites like Argentina and Brazil and held them to a feisty draw. We also witnessed individual brilliance of players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane who pulled their team out from the jaws of defeat. Keeping all this in mind, I have chosen the top eleven from the first round FIFA World Cup 2018 matches. Based on a team formation of 4-2-3-1,the team goes like this:
Francisco Guillermo Ochoa (Goalkeeper,Mexico) – He started his World cup campaign with a bang as his superb goal keeping kept the mighty Germans at bay. He made a total of 9 crucial saves in the match and had supreme command over the box.
Kieran John Trippier (Right Back,England)- Against Tunisia he brilliant with both his defensive and attacking attributes.Going forward he was a constant threat to the opponents and was dangerous from the set pieces.
Jose Maria Gimenez (Centre Back,Uruguay)- He did very well in defense pairing up with Diego Godin. Gimenez was equally dominating going in forward runs. He scored the eventual match winner.
Manuel Obafemi Akanji (Centre Back,Switzerland)- This 22 year old Swiss centre back handled the likes of Neymar and Gabriel Jesus brilliantly and gave them no time on ball. In the entire match he won all the one to one duels.
Jesus Daniel Gallardo (Left Back,Mexico)- Gallardo allowed Lozano to attack Germany down the channels by providing the width down the left and got back to defend with relentless energy. He had the game of his life against the Germans.
Hector Miguel Herrara (Central Defensive Midfielder,Mexico)- He played the role of a box-to-box midfielder with much dexterity. He won balls in the middle of the park in abundance and stifled the Germans badly.
Aron Einar Gunnarson (Central Defensive Midfielder,Iceland)- The Iceland skipper proved his critics wrong by putting up a high class performance in the midfield by constantly thwarting Argentine attacks. He made important tackles and put in vital interceptions and clearances throughout the match.
Hirving Rodrigo Lozano(Left Winger,Mexico)- As expected Lozano delivered spendidly at the biggest stage with his relentless attacks down the left wing against the mighty Germans. The Germans were in complete dire-straits with his mazy runs. His cracking low finish helped his country trounce Germany.
Aleksandr Sergyevich Golovin (Central Attacking Midfielder, Russia)-The Russian youngster dominated play against Saudi Arabia from start to finish. Golovin’s brilliant ball control and creativity helped his team rout Saudi Arabia.He assisted with two goals from two brilliant crosses and scored once from an exquisite free kick.
Denis Dmitryevich Cheryshev (Right Winger,Russia)-Denis Cheryshev’s introduction in the team early in the match due to an injury to his team mate Alan Dzagoev added a new dimension to the Russian team’s build up play. His dribbling attribute and pace was a constant menace for his opponent team.He scored two sumptuous goals. The last one he scored was without a doubt a world class finish.
Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveiro (Striker,Portugal)-The enigmatic striker was under tremendous pressure of shouldering his country’s hopes in the first match of the tournament against a powerful Spainish team. He did not disappoint.He not only performed but excelled with his superb predatory instincts. He scored a wonderful hattrick to single handedly rescue his side from the jaws of defeat.