Ranking every World Cup Team Performance after the First Round of Group Games

#12 Uruguay

The La Celeste faced off against a Salah less Egypt side with a fearful frontline of Suarez and Cavani. However, it was Jose Gimenez who stole the headlines with a late headed goal which broke the Egyptian resistance.

Oscar 'El Maestro' Tabarez opted with a traditional 4-4-2 system with Suarez and Cavani alternating between the finisher and support striker roles as the game progressed. Suarez was far from his best and missed some very good opportunities. Cavani, on the other hand, was good and was denied on a couple of occasions by the excellent Al Shenawy.

The Uruguay midfield was inexperienced and were not at their best. Bentancur was good in retaining the ball back but was not a threat in the final third. The wide midfielders, Nandez and Arrasceata, were struggling to make an impact in the game. The biggest strength of this Uruguay side is its defence which features the right mix of youth and experience. Diego Godin was excellent in the game and made all the right decisions expected of him.

Uruguay would be slightly disappointed with their attacking display but their defence was extremely tight. Oscar Tabarez will have some thinking to do before the next game. He will need to make some decisions regarding player selection, especially with respect to the wide midfielders.

A towering header from Gimenez broke the Egyptian resistance

#11 Senegal

Senegal emulated the achievements from the 2002 WC and got off to a winning start against Poland in their Group H opener. Senegal head coach Aliou Cissé was a part of that 2002 Senegal side who shocked France. His side is expected to be one of the most exciting teams in this competition.

Senegal are the dark horses for this tournament. They feature a host of quick players and are led by Liverpool winger Sadio Mane. Their pace and athleticism were apparent as they threatened the Polish defenders early in this game. It was luck however that played a huge role in both of Senegal's goals against Poland.

The first Senegalese goal was an own goal from Polish defender Thiago Cionek. The second was an easy tap-in from M'Baye Niang who took advantage of some calamitous judgement from the Polish goalkeeper among others. They conceded a goal late on but were solid enough in the later stages to secure the first African victory in this tournament.

Senegal's midfielders were good and prevented the Polish midfield from providing service to their lethal front two - Lewandowski and Milik. But there were some very sloppy passing from the midfielders when going forward. This prevented the quick wingers and forwards to take advantage of any space to run into. Koulibaly and Sane were very good in the aerial duels against Lewandowski and Milik. Sane, in particular, was excellent in his reading of the game.

Senegal's performance was not as exciting as promised. They have a golden opportunity in the next round of games to book their place in the Round of 16. Perhaps, the dark horses will prove their worth in gold against Japan. A continent places its burden on Senegal as they now have the best chance for an African team to progress.

M'Baye Niang scored his first ever international goal for Senegal