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After 48 games in 15 engaging and dramatic days, the 2018 FIFA World Cup group stage is finally over. In many ways, this tournament has been nothing short of spectacular and some of the events that have unfolded over the course of the first 15 days of the competition have sent shock waves down the spines of supporters and players alike. Many people already believe that this World Cup could be one of the very best in recent memory, thanks to the rise of new heroes and downtrodden prophecies.
From VAR proving to be more than useful on countless occasions to Germany's unceremonious fall from grace, football's biggest festival has been a treat to its devoted audiences all around the world so far. While the tournament has witnessed the rise of a number of dark horses including Croatia, Mexico and Switzerland, it has exposed the cruel nature of the game to some others like Iran, Nigeria and Senegal, who became the first team to be knocked out for their disciplinary record after drawing a stalemate with Japan over all statistics.
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The World Cup is slowly entering its business end as we speak and for many, there is still a lot of hope while some others have already boarded the flight back home, deservedly but certainly unwillingly. In this segment, we have tried to assemble an all-star XI only inclusive of players who have been knocked out of the tournament after the group stages.
Without further delay, let's take a closer look at the same:
Disclaimer: The team has been formulated according to the performances of the players in the tournament and it certainly emphasizes on form over reputation.
GK: Cho Hyun-woo (South Korea)
South Korea's custodian between the sticks, Cho Hyun-woo gets the nod ahead of Iran's Alireza Beiranvand and Keylor Navas in goal for our XI thanks to his stunning performance against Germany in their shocking 2-0 win over the defending champions.
Germany had 28 attempts on goal throughout the entirety of the game and still failed to find the back of Cho's net and that speaks volumes about his presence between the sticks for South Korea.
The 26-year-old's individual performance came in a winning cause in comparison to Beiranvand's game against Portugal while Navas conceded 2 goals more than Cho over the course of the 3 group stage games.
RB: Ramin Rezaeian (Iran)
Iran have the joint-best defensive record among the teams to have been knocked out of the tournament, alongside Peru, and Ramin Rezaeian was involved significantly in their resolute defensive performances against the heavyweights in Group B in the form of Spain and Portugal.
Rezaeian had to go up against the likes of Isco and Cristiano Ronaldo during Iran's second and third games of the tournament respectively and the full-back more than held his own against the glowing reputation of his counterparts.
CB: Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal)
Without the shadow of a doubt, Senegal were the unluckiest team to get knocked out after the group stages after they were eliminated on the basis of their disciplinary record. Unfortunately for Kalidou Koulibaly, who was one of their top performers, the tournament came to an abrupt end after it got off to a very promising start.
Koulibaly was excellent in the air and equally good and comfortable while playing the ball out from the back. To add a bit more misery to the unlucky story of this man, Koulibaly did not pick up a single booking out of the 5 yellow cards (1 more than Japan who progressed to the next round) they picked up over the course of the tournament which paved the way for their exit.
CB: Medhi Benatia (Morocco)
The curious case of Morocco was yet another unfortunate event that unfolded over the group stages of the tournament. A late own goal against Iran in their opening game dampened their hopes but they came out all guns blazing against Portugal only to be undone by the brilliance of Cristiano Ronaldo. However, they salvaged some pride with a 2-2 draw against Spain in their final game, even though Medhi Benatia played no part in it.
Benatia's excellent prowess in the air while defending and attacking coupled with his rich wealth of experience at the highest level in club football is a boon to any side and his leadership abilities are also admirable.
LB: Aleksandar Kolarov (Serbia)
This is almost a no-brainer considering the kind of performances he has showcased for Serbia over the course of the group games in the tournament. Kolarov's relentless desire to work up and down the flanks almost tipped Serbia over to the knockout stages of the competition but in the end, they fell just short of it.
Kolarov's free-kick against Costa Rica proved yet again that his left-foot can work wonders from set-piece routines and he did a commendable job against Brazil as well, despite having nothing to show for it.
CDM: Wilfred Ndidi (Nigeria)
The Nigerian midfielder was handed no favours whatsoever when he was pitted against the likes of Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic in the Super Eagles' opening game of the tournament against Croatia. Ndidi responded well to that loss and enjoyed a convincing outing in their 2-0 win over Iceland and acted as the perfect shield for the defenders behind him.
The attacking nature of Victor Moses on the right flank meant that Ndidi had to station himself behind the half-way line for the majority of the game and he was not reluctant to make up the numbers while defending, whenever required.
CM: Toni Kroos (Germany)
It's hard to keep him out of this team despite Germany finishing rock-bottom of Group F and in all honesty, he was one of their better performers when you look back. Toni Kroos might not have been as good as his usual standards but the team as a whole was a disappointment, to say the least.
The midfielder's winner against Sweden in stoppage time was phenomenal and it ensured that they still had a chance to progress heading into their final fixture against South Korea. However, Germany fumbled and were eventually knocked out but Kroos was probably one of the better players in an otherwise mediocre squad.
CM: Aaron Mooy (Australia)
Aaron Mooy was Australia's stand-out performer of the tournament as expected and to a certain extent, he managed to continue his decent run of form at club level with Huddersfield Town in the Premier League to the FIFA World Cup in Russia. The midfielder caught the eye of the global audience during the Socceroos' opening game in Group C against France due to his tireless work rate and he even managed to keep Paul Pogba quiet for the majority of the game.
According to several reports, Manchester City have expressed their interest in activating the buy-back clause attached to Mooy's contract and his recent performances might attract a few other parties as well.
LW: Andre Carrillo (Peru)
The other obvious contender for this spot was Sadio Mane and we've gone with Andre Carrillo here because the Watford winger rightfully outshines the Senegal captain in terms of statistics. Carrillo also scored a thumping volley in Peru's last group game against Australia to register their first win in 40 years at the competition and first goal in 36 years.
Despite Mane almost guiding Senegal to the knockout stages, his only goal came courtesy of a luck after a spill by Eiji Kawashima in their game against Japan. Carrillo, on the other hand, looked dangerous against France as well and certainly looked the part against the Socceroos.
ST: Son Heung-min (South Korea)
Son Heung-min planted the final nail in the coffin against Germany when he rolled the ball over the line into an empty net against the defending champions in the dying moments of the game. Korea celebrated like they had just won the World Cup and Son, who broke down to tears after their elimination following the loss against Mexico, revelled in joy.
The onus was on him to deliver in their final game against Germany and he did it in style helping them finish above the former champions.
RW: Wahbi Khazri (Tunisia)
This might strike to you as a surprise inclusion at first but the truth is that Wahbi Khazri became the first player to register 2 goals and 2 assists at the FIFA World Cup this year despite Tunisia crashing out of Group G.
The forward scored and assisted in Tunisia's 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Belgium and repeated the same antics in their comeback win over Panama that salvaged some pride for the Eagles of Carthage.
Manager: Aliou Cisse
A perfectionist by trade and Senegal's captain from their dream run in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Aliou Cisse is our contender to lead the team from the touchline.
The 42-year-old is one of the youngest and enigmatic managers to have featured in the tournament this year and he managed to do a commendable job with the Lions of Teranga and was denied a place in the knockout stages only due to their poor disciplinary record in comparison to Japan.
Formation: 4-3-3
Do you agree with the line-up formulated above? Do let us know your opinions in the comments section below.
