Top performers of the World Cup group stage
2. Raheem Sterling, England: Reminiscent of Michael Owen at the 1998
World Cup, the 19-year-old was fearless against Italy and made their
defense look nervy with his willingness to challenge them on the
dribble. He was less influential in the loss to Uruguay and was subbed
out in the 64th minute. In the meaningless (from the England standpoint)
final match with Costa Rica, Sterling came off the substitutes’ bench
in the second half but couldn’t help England break the deadlock. Still,
during a World Cup to forget for England fans, Sterling was a bright
spot and one for the future.
3. Joel Campbell, Costa Rica: The striker was a menace to Uruguay,
scoring once and setting up the team’s last goal in a 3-1 win. Campbell
celebrated his goal – a bullet of a volley - with a memorable
celebration: he tucked the ball underneath his shirt, pregnancy-style,
then sucked his thumb like a baby. Quick and hard-working against
England, he troubled their defense as Costa Rica earned a draw to become
surprise winners of Group D
Alexis Sanchez, Chile: A vital component of the Chilean attack,
he scored Chile’s first goal of the World Cup and assisted on another in
a 3-1 win. As an encore, he and teammates shocked the world by
defeating champions Spain 2-0.
James RodrÃguez, Colombia: For a while now, his career has been
on the up and up. After three solid seasons at Porto, the
twenty-two-year-old playmaker earned a big money move to Monaco. At the
World Cup, his Man of the Match performance against Greece included two
assists and a last-minute goal. He was no less influential in their
second match with Ivory Coast. His 64th minute header opened the scoring
in a 2-1 win, securing his country a second-round berth. In the game
with Japan, he came on after halftime and scored in stoppage time. It
was a wonderful individual effort noteworthy for its guile and
confidence. He turned a Japanese defender inside and out, leaving the
hapless guy on the grass, before sublimely chipping over the ‘keeper.
Lionel Messi, Argentina: Entering the tournament, the pressure on
the former World Player of the Year was immense. Despite delivering for
Barcelona over the years, he’d yet to impress for Argentina in the
World Cup. Messi delivered in style in their opening match against
Bosnia and Herzegovina: a trademark mazy dribbled led to a curling shot
that nestled just inside the post. Argentina wasn’t too impressive
overall but still won the match 2-1. They continued to struggle in their
second match but Messi rescued them with a late winner, sparing them
blushes against lowly Iran. Messi grabbed two more goals against the
Nigerians. One was an opportunistic volley in the penalty area; the
other was an untouchable free kick. Tied with Neymar on goals scored (4)
in the tournament
Neymar, Brazil: Brazil’s poster boy made good on pre-tournament
expectations. He scored four goals in the group phase, to take the lead
in the Golden Boot competition. In spite of all the pressure, he looked
relaxed and played with the kind of flair and invention that could make
him a World Cup legend if Brazil wins the whole thing.
Tim Cahill, Australia: He scored what could prove the goal of the
tournament – a stunning first-time volley to equalize Arjen Robben’s
opener – but then followed it up with a silly tackle that earned him a
yellow card suspension for the Aussie’s third group match. With
Australia officially eliminated from the World Cup later in the day, the
match was likely the 34-year-old’s last World Cup appearance. If so, it
was a fabulous ride. In three World Cups, he scored five goals, a
national record (and three more than superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has
scored for Portugal in three trips to the big tournament). Though
Australia was awful in its 2014 opener with talented upstarts Chile,
Cahill still managed a headed goal.
Divock Origi, Belgium: The teenager has provided a spark off the
bench for Belgium. In the match with Russia, he coolly converted a cross
from Eden Hazard to finish off a sweeping move down the left in the
88th minute. The late winner earned Belgium three points.
Robin van Persie, Netherlands: An obvious choice for one of the
best players in the group stage. He missed their final group match
against Chile due to a yellow card suspension but by then he’d done
enough to advance the Dutch cause. His diving header began the now
infamous rout against world champs Spain and even spurred an Internet
craze. In the second match against Australia, his clinical finish at a
pressurized moment – the Netherlands was losing 2-1 – inspired a Dutch
fightback.
Karim Benzema, France: The striker was on-point for European
champs Real Madrid last season and his excellent form has continued into
the World Cup. He converted a penalty against Honduras at the end of
the first half then scored from the run of play in the 72nd minute,
pouncing opportunistically on a deflection in the penalty box, like any
good striker should. His penalty was saved in their second match against
Switzerland but it didn’t much matter as the French scored five.
Benzema even made up for his penalty miss with a 67th minute goal – an
incisive diagonal run followed by a solid volley into the net.
Thomas Mueller, Germany: Mueller is a provocative figure. In
Germany’s opener versus Portugal, he was involved in nearly every
important incident. After converting a penalty in the 12th minute, he
was then part of an altercation that led to Pepe being sent off. In
first half added time, Mueller added a second goal by being aggressive
and predatory in the penalty area. He completed his hat-trick by
following his instincts yet again. In the 78th minute, he pounced after
the Portuguese goalkeeper palmed the ball into his path. Mueller didn’t
score against Ghana in their hard-fought draw but as always he worked
hard for the German team, a fact underscored when he leapt to head a
free kick with only seconds remaining in the match. His head collided
with a Ghana player’s shoulder. Blood commenced to pour down his face
Jermaine Jones, USA: He was vital to the American midfield both in attack and in defense. His long-distance blast to cancel out Portugal’s opener will linger in the memories of American soccer fans for years to come.
Arjen Robben, Netherlands: The Dutch wizard is known for
unsettling defenders through pace and guile, and through the
Netherlands’ first two matches he was dependably himself. No doubt
looking to erase the memory of a catastrophic miss in the 2010 final –
converting said chance would have won his country the World Cup – he
played like a man possessed in the 5-1 thrashing of Spain, scoring twice
in the second half with his patented left foot. Against Australia, he
was no less involved. After streaking past the Aussie defense, he fired
coolly past the goalkeeper to open the scoring. Ultimately, the Dutch
squeezed past 3-2 to qualify for the second stage, with a game to spare.
He helped them take the group with an assist against Chile in their 2-0
win
Marouane Fellaini, Belgium: The midfielder had a forgettable
first season at Manchester United and started on the bench for Belgium
in their opener against Algeria. His entrance in the second half sparked
the Belgian comeback – his classy header in the 70th minute was
sublime. After falling behind, Belgium won 2-1 against unheralded
Algeria to preserve the dark horses’ World Cup dream.
Oscar, Brazil: Easy to overlook in the run-up to the World Cup
because of Neymar’s omnipresence, Oscar grabbed a few headlines himself
against Croatia. The midfielder’s injury time goal, both cheeky and
stylish, capped off Brazil’s 3-1 victory. To be fair, Oscar made the
goal himself: his dribbling had the defense backpedaling before a
toe-poke sent the ball past the ‘keeper. Over the group phase, the
Chelsea player has scored once and added two assists. He’s been
instrumental to the Brazilian attack while staying true to his defensive
responsibilities.
Xherdan Shaqiri, Switzerland: Shaqiri was Switzerland's hat-trick
hero in their final group match with Honduras. With his country needing
a result to go through to the next round, Shaqiri was deadly and
clinical, scoring from distance and up close.
Guillermo Ochoa, Mexico: Ochoa was simply spectacular during the
group phase. He kept clean sheets versus Cameroon and Brazil. Against
the hosts, he made one phenomenal save after another to keep the
Mexicans in the game. He was on his way to a third consecutive clean
sheet when Croatia spoiled the party with a goal in the 87th minute.
Ivan Perisic, Croatia: In the 4-0 romp over Cameroon, the
left-sided midfielder took advantage of a poor goal kick, galloping down
the left wing to finish with aplomb. In the match with Mexico, another
hard-charging run into the penalty box resulted in a goal, but by then
it was too late for Croatia. In a soccer world where both pace and a
left foot are hot properties, Perisic showed his worth in Brazil.
Luis Suarez, Uruguay: Suarez showed why he’s regarded as the most
talented but frustrating player on the planet. After missing the first
match because of injury, he returned with a vengeance against England,
scoring his country’s two goals in an impressive display of what
attacking soccer has to offer. But against Italy, with passage to the
next stage on the line, soccer’s bad boy couldn’t resist taking a bite
out of Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder. The moment - the third time in his
career that Suarez has bitten an opposing player – overshadowed
Uruguay’s victory and advancement to the round of 16.
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