World Cup 2018: 5 most disappointing players from round one

All 32 nations have now played at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with the final two of them meeting yesterday when Senegal triumphed 2-0 over Poland in Group H.

While most of the so-called favourites have failed to impress collectively, the first match-day was, if nothing else, eventful in terms of individual performances. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Spain in Group B, for example, while Denis Cheryshev, Diego Costa, Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane all found the net twice for their respective teams.

Not everyone has made headlines for the right reasons, though. Although many of the big stars delivered in their opening games, there were several others who put in the kind of head-scratching performers that left fans wondering whether they were really watching the same players who regularly do the business in Europe's top domestic leagues.

The good news for them, and their frustrated coaches is that there are at least two (and potentially up to five) further match-days in which they can put things right. After all, Mario Gotze was adjudged to have made a slow start in Germany's group opener four years ago, and he went on to score the winning goal in the final a month later.

Here are five who will be hoping for a similar turnaround in fortune.

#5 Thomas Muller

In fairness, virtually all of Germany's big stars disappointed in their Group F opener against Mexico, not least of all Muller's fellow attackers Mesut Ozil, Julian Draxler and Timo Werner, all of whom were easily kept at bay by their opposing defenders.

In the case of the Bayern Munich man, however, it's a little more surprising. In his previous two World Cups, Muller found the net an impressive 10 times, including a hattrick in the opening game four years ago against Portugal. If there's anyone you'd trust to grab a goal on match-day one, it's him.

It's not just the lack of goals that mark this one out as a sub-par performance, though. Muller didn't look threatening with the ball, and which is more he didn't work hard enough off it to cut off the Mexican supply line - a staple of his industrious playing style since his debut almost a decade ago.

#4 Raheem Sterling

Sterling missed a sitter against Tunisia

Raheem Sterling enjoyed a stellar season last year for Manchester City. In addition to winning his first ever Premier League title, he hit an incredible 23 goals in all competitions, which is remarkable for a striker, let alone a wide player.

For England, however, the 23-year-old's record in the penalty box is far more patchy. He's only found the net twice in 39 games, and this trend continued in the Three Lions' opening group match with Tunisia on Monday when he let several big chances go begging.

The encouraging thing for Gareth Southgate, however, is that Sterling is at least consistently getting into promising positions inside the opposing team's third. It's just that nerves are getting the better of him when it really matters. Perhaps against Panama later on this week, without the pressure of the first match-day, we'll see a more confident player take to the field.

#3 Antoine Griezmann

Griezmann scored from the spot but put on a dull display

Unlike every other player on this list, France's Antoine Griezmann did at least score a goal in the first game, finding the net from the penalty spot as his side laboured to a somewhat disappointing 2-1 win over Australia.

His overall performance, however, left a lot to be desired. Paired upfront with young players Mbappe and Dembele, the Atletico Madrid man was tasked wih taking responsibility for unlocking the opposing defence, and yet he produced surprisingly little in possession.

In his defence, Didier Deschamps' current system isn't currently set up to bring the most out of a player of his profile. Most observers agree that Griezmann produces his best work for the national side when playing alongside a target man like Olivier Giroud, who can draw defenders away from him and, in turn, free up space to run into.

#2 Neymar

Neymar will look to bounce back

Cast in the role of Brazil's talisman for the second World Cup running, Neymar had a quiet start to his tournament as his side were held 1-1 by Switzerland in Group E.

There were one or two nice moments, admittedly. Even when he's slightly off his game, the Paris Saint-Germain forward is still capable of moments of individual skill that excite the crowd. When it comes to the overall game, though, he had little decisive impact over its outcome.

Any comment about Neymar's performances, of course, must be prefaced with the acknowledgement that he's probably still not 100% fit after suffering a season-ending injury in France a couple of months ago. It may not be until the knockout stages that we see him at his absolute best.

#1 Lionel Messi

Messi missed a penalty

To be fair to Messi, he wasn't totally useless in Argentina's first game against Iceland. Rather, most of the criticism he has faced since has stemmed from the fact that his career rival Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hattrick 24 hours earlier.

Even so, it wasn't a vintage performance from the Barcelona number 10. As well as missing a penalty, he was generally unable to wriggle free from his Icelandic markers, constantly getting crowded off the ball as he attempted to play the decisive ball in the final third.

We should, however, see some significant improvement in his second and third matches in the competition. Having lost their first game to Croatia, Nigeria may need to attack Argentina when they meet on June 26, and this will leave space at the other end for Messi to exploit.