World Cup 2018: 5 forwards who flattered to deceive in the group stage

#1 Robert Lewandowski (Poland)

Lewandowski was well below his best

When you score 16 times during the qualifiers to finish as the joint top-scorer from all zones combined only to draw a blank in the World Cup finals, you ought to be the most disappointing. Not that we're witnessing a phenomenon like this for the first time - Lewandowski struck just once in Euro 2016 despite finishing as the most prolific in the qualifiers - but he could've only done so much with an apparent lack of proper service.

The Bayern Munich star was eclipsed amid Poland's below-par showings and the added responsibility of captaincy only weighed him down further. He managed just three shots on target despite completing 90 minutes in all three group games but was dispossessed a total of 5 times in that period.

We've seen much better from Lewandowski before, but he was a mere passenger in this Polish jalopy that exited the World Cup with a whimper.