World Cup 2018: 4 major shocks we could witness in Russia

The FIFA World Cup in Russia has begun in sensational fashion. At the end of the first round of group stage fixtures, we've already seen it all. We've seen a sensational hattrick scored by Cristiano Ronaldo, late winners, own goals, cracking free-kicks and penalty misses.

But the most eye-catching part of this tournament so far has been the number of upsets we have witnessed. Tournament favourites have been found out by resolute and well organized teams and these shock results have only made the tournament even more thrilling.

Experts and fans believed before the tournament began that this would bring out the gulf in class between the established footballing superpowers and the so-called minnows. We were told to expect a tournament in which the giants would all ease their way into the knockout stages and that the actual games would only begin then.

However, the beauty of this format is that it is absolutely unforgiving. If the team is caught napping, there might be no coming back. One bad night could see a four-year dream go up in flames.

This could very well be the case with most of the favorites failing to come up with the performances expected of them. Top players have flattered to deceive and this has meant that their countries have struggled to get past opposition they would have fancied beating.

This has put these giants facing must win ties in the coming matches if they are to have hopes of progressing into the knockout stages of the competition.

In this article,we take a look at the major shocks of the tournament we could witness due to the upsets we have already witnessed in the competition.

---

#1 Lionel Messi's World Cup dream could end early

Messi - falters on the international stage

Argentina just about scraped into the World Cup finals in Russia and they had their inspirational skipper Lionel Messi to thank for it. However, it was the great man who let his nation down in the opening match of their World Cup campaign.

Argentina heading into the tournament knew that they would have a difficult task to even make it out of the group stages. They have been paired in the group of death with traditional dark horses Croatia, a high-flying Iceland and African giants Nigeria.

La Albiceleste got a first taste of the medicine against debutants Iceland. Despite taking the lead through Sergio Aguero, the South American side struggled to impose themselves on a gritty and well-organized Icelandic side who even managed to get back level.

Argentina retained the ball for large periods of the game but failed to find a way past the solid defense.

Argentina managed to win a penalty through Meza and their captain stepped up to take it. However, Iceland goalkeeper Halldorsson had other ideas as he managed to save a poorly placed penalty.

The keeper had a night that he'll remember for the rest of his life as he managed to keep Messi at bay, despite the latter taking 10 shots at his goal. Messi cut a sorry figure at the end of the match as his penalty miss meant that Argentina missed out on two vital points.

The talismanic skipper will have to step up in the coming matches if Argentina are to have any chance of realizing their dream of lifting the World Cup which has evaded them for over three decades now.

Argentina now find themselves in a precarious position in a difficult group and they'll face a tactically strong Croatian side next before they head over to face the Nigerians in what could end up being a must-win tie.

The road to World Cup glory will seem extremely long for Argentina this time and they will face huge obstacles to even get to the second round.

If Argentina fail to win their group, they could face France in just the second round of the competition.

Though football fans would love to see the two exciting attacking units come head to head in the tournament, it's a match that a stuttering Argentina would dread to even think about so early in the tournament.

#2 Defending Champions facing a first round shock exit

Germany - drew their first game

Defending Champions Germany headed into the tournament as one of the favorites along with Spain and Brazil.

Germany had gone on to win the Confederations Cup last year, despite resting most of their first-choice players. The German side showed off a scary strength in depth by going on to win the tournament with plenty of under-23 players.

The German side that looked complete were ruthlessly exposed by a young and pacy Mexican side. The Mexican attack got into the German box numerous times and a better final ball might have seen them widen the scoreline.

The German defense was taken apart by wingers Chucky Lozano and Carlos Vela, and they looked a pale shadow of their true self.

The German performance reminded fans of the shocking Spanish performance in their World Cup opener four years ago. A more clinical Mexican team might have even replicated the same scoreline against the Germans.

The attack look devoid of ideas as it lacked pace and penetration. Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller were virtually nonexistent and it was only once Marco Reus and Julian Brandt were introduced that the German side looked somewhat close its self.

The result also went on to emphasize the mistake manager Joachim Low had made in leaving winger Leroy Sane out of the squad.

Germany lie three points adrift of the top two sides and are now left with a must-win tie against Sweden. A defeat will end their hopes of retaining the trophy and a draw will mean that they will have to depend on other results to go in their favour.

Not what the champions would have expected. They will have to come back a changed side and show their mettle against the young Swedish side.

Failure to top the group could see them face favourites Brazil in just the second round of the competition.

Brazil who suffered a 7-1 humiliation at home at the hands of Germany in the World Cup semifinal four years ago will be licking their lips at the prospect of avenging for the defeat and this is a game that the German side would want to avoid.

#3 Brazil have put themselves in a risky position

Selecao - a point to prove

Brazil without question was the overwhelming favorite heading into this World Cup in Russia. Brazil had seemingly lost their identity at the start of the decade and this has been restored by manager Tite.

This attractive Brazil side has brought back memories of past sides with their flowing and attractive attacking play.

The world was waiting to see this team light up the stadiums in Russia and they began in text-book fashion with creative midfielder Philippe Coutinho wowing the fans with a stunning curler from outside the box.

However the Brazilian engine got stuck to the same gear and failed to push on after taking the lead. Switzerland hit back in the second half and got back level, and despite both sides trying extremely hard, the winner never arrived.

For Brazil, Neymar who was playing his first competitive match in nearly four months after recovering from an injury was handed a tough examination.

The PSG man was fouled an incredible 10 times and the Swiss central midfielders were constantly on to him, giving him very less time on the ball. Willian and Gabriel Jesus also didn't have the best of games, and their combined struggles meant that Coutinho was left with too much to do.

Brazil walked away with a point against the team that was considered to be their toughest opposition in the group and hence should be confident of progressing to the next stage.

However the South American side shouldn't take anything for granted in an unforgiving format. They will have to play a lot better than they did against Switzerland if they are to have hopes of winning the World Cup after 16 years.

#4 Colombia self-destruct and find themselves with a lot to do

Colombia - they need to step up

Colombia came into this World Cup with a solid all-round squad which saw many name them as dark horses of the tournament. Paired in a group of death with Poland, Japan and Senegal, Colombia knew that they would have it tough against competitive opposition teams.

Colombia surprisingly opted to start with James Rodriguez on the bench with Juan Quintero preferred to him. The Colombian World Cup campaign began in disastrous fashion as their defensive midfielder was sent off inside three minutes.

Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa stepped up to put the Asian side in front. Though Colombia got back level after a free-kick goal from Quintero, Japan went back in front with 17 minutes still to play. Colombia threw everything at Japan, but the equalizer never came and they were resigned to a loss to begin their journey.

Colombia have a lot to ponder about and they would surely have to rethink their combination to get things right in the coming games.

First up, they face a tough test against Poland, who themselves will be coming off a loss. A loss against Poland would likely be the end of the journey for the Colombians, even a draw might not be enough for them if results don't go their way.