World Cup 2018: 5 underperformers from the semi-finals

The 2018 World Cup has been a treat to watch and an absolute spectacle of top quality football. With every game churning up surprises with nail biting action, last minute drama and beautiful enthralling football, we have come to the last act of this great event - the final.

With France and Croatia playing the final, it has been a wonderful journey for both teams. Commiserations to Belgium and England who displayed some great vigour and challenged for a spot in the final with all their might, however falling short of that goal by a narrow margin.

With every player on the pitch giving his all, it really came down to some opportunities missed and some moments gone by.

With both teams playing off for 3rd spot, here is a list of players who under-performed for their teams in the semi-finals and can have a shot at redemption in the upcoming game if selected.

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#5 Jordan Henderson - England

Henderson was outclassed by the Croatian midfield.

Having led Liverpool to the UEFA Champions League final last season, Henderson was equally commendable in his midfield role for England throughout their entire campaign, but the game against Croatia showed that it just wasn't his day.

The 28 year old was supposed to lay deep in his own midfield to cover the 3 man English defense and also help with the attack from a deep lying position.

With a young and energetic English squad playing for a place in the finals, it was up to Henderson to play a vital role with his composure, leadership and control as an experienced player in the team.

However, he was often caught out of position and was mauled by the Croatian midfield led by the likes of Rakitic and Modric.

In possession, Henderson let Alli and Lingard enjoy the creative freedom but with Croatia keeping plenty of possession and winning the ball back quickly, Henderson was often caught in space without backup as there were 6 team mates committed to attack and he couldn't command them to fall back in time.

England was being outplayed in the middle of the pitch as Croatia eventually learned that if they quickly switch the ball there is only so much ground that Henderson could cover.

Modric's time on the ball increased and with the number of chances Croatia created, Henderson who had been so adept at closing down spaces in midfield was left as a mere spectator.

His long-passes to Raheem Sterling were often misjudged or misplaced and the tactic failed as the game progressed and with Besic, Mandzukic and Perisic swapping wings to create even more chaos in the English half, Henderson continually seemed to be caught out miserably.

Eventually in extra-time, Henderson made way for Eric Dier who was introduced to freshen up the English midfield after it had wearily limped to full time.

#4 Mousa Dembélé - Belgium

Dembele was tactically and physically over shadowed by the French midfield.

Mousa Dembele is a tremendous footballer, as the 30 year old has often shown during his time at Tottenham. However, Dembele’s showing for Belgium in the World Cup semi-final was below par, with the game largely passing the Spurs man by, after he was handed a rare start for his country.

Dembele has a great reputation for getting the better of his midfield rivals. But he was no match for the French midfield led by N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba, and was eventually hauled off the pitch by Roberto Martinez as France won the match 1-0. He looked sluggish throughout the game and failed to find any rhythm and therefore struggled.

With one having utterly blown away the likes of Juventus and Real Madrid in the Champions League with devastating displays and the other being Pogba, the physical battle between Pogba and Dembele was a much coveted topic for days.

However, Dembele was outclassed in every aspect and statistic of the game by his French nemesis. While the French midfield had a live-wire named Kante and Dembele had Witsel to his support, such is Dembele's repute that there was no excuse for him to allow breaches in the Belgian midfield.

With his compatriots trying to break the solid French defense with their trickery and long-balls, it was evident that Belgium lacked the mobility and fluidity that tormented Brazil in the first half of the quarter-final.

With Fellaini and Dembélé struggling to build the play and to move the ball quickly, it made it very difficult for Belgium to establish any flow to its game through midfield. The under-stated presence, crosses and passes of Meunier whose suspension paved way for Dembele was badly missed.

As the game progressed, the likes of Mbappe and Griezmann started knocking on the Belgian defense and Oliver Giroud was excellent with his hold up play that often caught Dembele out of position and grasping for breath as the quick French attack came wave after wave.

His attempts at passing or laying a through ball was quickly cut short by the amazing Kante, and any amount of extra possession drew Pogba towards him.

The long balls towards Fellaini were also a disappointment as the Manchester United midfielder was always man-marked by a resolute Pogba who was having a spectacular game in his own right.

Dembele was subbed off for Mertens by the hour mark, as the Red Devils tried to inject some attacking flair into the team.

His disastrous performance may not help him in getting recalled to the starting XI for the 3rd position play-off against England, and at 30 years of age this might be his last World-Cup.

#3 Dele Alli - England

Dele was left clueless by the Croatian midfield

Dele Alli was supposed to shine in this World Cup, this was a kid who had nutmegged Modric before he’d even made his Premier League debut.

Jokes aside, the Tottenham man had a good run in this edition of the World Cup having started four of England's six games in Russia, missing the group games against Panama and Belgium through injury.

However his game against Croatia was far from it. England made the perfect start with a brilliant free-kick by Kieran Trippier in the fifth minute following a Luka Modric foul on Dele Alli, and should have looked to capitalise on it immediately.

But that was very much the peak for England as their attack faded and Croatia grew into the contest with Harry Kane missing from the near post to double up the lead.

With a coveted midfield that is at Croatia's disposal, it was an end to end game and Alli, who started in a fullback role to help in both the defense and offense was caught out as the game progressed and Luka Modric began weaving passes with magic as is his fashion.

While it was up to him and Trippier to retract and help Henderson at the back, the 22 year-old had a few moments of defensive indiscipline and concentration lapses that put his team under pressure.

His long balls were frequently intercepted, depriving Kane of steady service and the combined efforts from the Croatian midfield meant that Dele was often robbed of the ball.

His ability to go ahead and exploit the opponent's defense with the spectacular is well known, Southgate should have kept that in mind when giving Dele his defensive duties. But the damage had already been done and the game lost.

However the World Cup campaign has been a great revelation for the Spurs player, and he has a bright future.

#2 Romelu Lukaku - Belgium

Lukaku failed to capitalise on his chances against France

Big Rom was the centre of attention and crosses, along with his club and country compatriot Marouane Fellaini in the semi-final against France. Sadly for Belgium and the 25 year-old, he couldn't capitalise as they lost to France 1-0.

Being the all time leading goalscorer for his nation at such a young age and having scored 4 in this World Cup campaign so far, fans were hoping for him to trouble the French defense with his brute strength, improved build-up and hold-up play that saw him set up De Bruyne earlier in the competition.

With Eden Hazard playing some of the best football of his life and de Bruyne dominating the midfield, all Lukaku had to do was push forward and either connect with a cross or draw enough players towards him to leave spaces open for his fellow countrymen to take a shot at goal.

The French defense however had other plans for him as he was constantly man-marked, and his runs caught by the quick French defense. His passes were intercepted by the likes of Kante and Pogba which left very little room for link up play.

The lack of service from the midfield duo of Dembele and Witsel meant Lukaku was deprived of the ball for a good period of time in the build-up, despite Belgium keeping majority of possession.

The last 30 minutes saw Belgium make attacking changes, and while the number and quality of the crosses and through balls started to improve, Lukaku failed to capitalise.

While his compatriots tried their individual best to get the team an opening goal, Lukaku seemed lost for cause and lost his grip on a game in which fans expected him to perform.

Not everything is lost for the Manchester star whose humble beginnings are an inspiration. The campaign with Belgium for this World Cup may be over, but the 3rd place play-off comes as a silver lining for the player, presenting him with the opportunity to go for the Golden Boot.

#1 Harry Kane - England

Kane is the leading goal scorer with 6 goals in this World cup

It was really difficult to choose between Harry Kane and Lukaku, but the fact that he captains the English team and his miss from a couple yards being a huge error sees him top this unlikely list.

The 24-year old Tottenham striker had been in stellar form for his club and had stepped up his game even further when the World Cup campaign started.

While the loss to Croatia wasn't his fault alone, his lack of involvement in the final third and the failure to inspire his team into scoring an equaliser, let alone a winner was his fault as a captain and he became increasingly absent in what was his worst game of the tournament by some distance.

When Kane got his best chance in the 30th minute against Croatia, his first shot was saved by goalkeeper Danijel Subasic. The ball rebounded almost out of play, then sat up for Kane to take another shot from less than two metres.

The ball hit the post, ricocheted off Subasic and somehow looped off to safety. An offside was called for the preceding play, so it wouldn't have counted anyway.

Sadly Kane would not get another opportunity with the ball at his feet, and Croatia would never let England get so close again, with the Croatian midfield dominating possession and frequently intercepting play.

While the manager's tactics for the game is also to blame for England's loss, it doesn't mask the fact that Harry Kane could have done much better. If it is any consolation, he may still take home the Golden Boot.