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And we are down to the final two!!!! After a month of enthralling action played in a vibrant and festive atmosphere, the Vatreni of Croatia will play in its first ever World Cup final against Didier Deschamps' Les Bleus of French team.
The tournament has been one characterized by lots of upsets and astonishing under-performance by a lot of the more favoured nations (Spain, Portugal, defending champions Germany, Argentina among others).
It has been one that has seen the lesser lights push hard and earn the right to play and it has seen a number of top-level performances from both established and previously unheralded stars.
However, quite a number of previously heralded stars were disappointing and failed to put in the kinds of performances that had been expected of them before the Mundial started.
Here is a list of 5 of Russia 2018's most disappointing stars.
#5 Thomas Muller (Germany)
The arch-Raumdeuter (interpreter of space) - Müller has had a brilliant international career for Germany; 10 goals in World Cup games. However, he was a mess at Russia 2018. It became obvious very early that he made the squad based on past antecedents rather than present form.
Müller's position and role in the German team is one that took away the need for an extra winger in the team and helped to disrupt the pacy, zesty footballing style that the modern Die Mannschaft has become known for.
He was terrible in the opening match against Mexico as he failed to provide support for the team's striker Timo Werner. He kept drifting into the roles that were supposed to have been occupied by the other attacking players - Mesut Ozil and Julian Draxler.
With him in the side, Joachim Low's men were unable to take the game to the very energetic El Tri and had the Mexicans been more clinical, the scoreline would have been embarrassing for the defending champions
He was dropped for Germany's only win in the tournament against Sweden, a game where the team's attacking play improved significantly. He was brought in for the last game when the team was chasing the goal they needed for qualification.
His presence kept out players like Julian Brandt who could have offered the much-needed zing while also creating a problem for the team's more creative outlets.
#4 Bernardo Silva (Portugal)
As a team for which Cristiano Ronaldo was expected to be the principal source of goals, it was believed that the other creative elements in the team would provide ample backup for Portugal's all-time leading scorer.
Manchester City's Bernardo Silva was expected to be the leader of the support pack. His guile, invention, ability to pick a pass and retain possession were expected to be key in Portugal's counter-attacking strategy.
However, the 23-year-old failed to offer the much needed creative spark. Playing on the right-hand side with Ronaldo in the middle and Goncalo Guedes operating as an inside forward, Silva failed to deliver.
He was absent in the 3-3 draw against Spain as he was overshadowed by the superior Spanish midfield. He was also a peripheral figure in the win against Morocco and was a substitute against Iran.
He showed his class in the second round against Uruguay as he was Portugal's most creative player but his efforts came to naught.
#3 David de Gea (Spain)
Manchester United fans will have you believe that de Gea is the best goalkeeper currently in world football. However, in his first Mundial as Spain's definitive numero uno, the 27-year-old failed spectacularly.
The way Spain play - hogging the ball and moving it around to get the best possible angle, the goalkeeper is usually not called upon to make too many saves. Therefore, he has to always keep himself mentally ready to join in the action once he is needed.
This is an area that the really great goalkeepers excel at and is one that he failed at in the World Cup. He dropped a huge clanger in the first game against Portugal, allowing Ronaldo's weak shot squirm through his hands.
He was a bundle of nerves in Spain's last three matches against Iran, Morocco, and Russia. Admittedly, he was not helped by the inexplicably terrible defending by a player like Gerard Pique. However, letting in 10 goals from 11 shots faced is not a stat expected of a supposed great like de Gea.
#2 Harry Kane (England)
Sounds absurd that potentially the top scorer at the World Cup would be on this list. However, take away his goals and Kane has done nothing worthy of note in Russia.
Playing as the lone striker in an England formation that was built on speed and tenacity rather than any flair in midfield or intelligent passing, a lot was expected of the team's captain.
He was expected to hold on to the ball with his back turned to the opponent's goal while bringing in the speedsters Jesse Lingard and Raheem Sterling into the game. With Kane occupying the opposing centre-backs, there was supposed to be room for the aforementioned duo and Dele Alli to tun into.
However, he failed spectacularly at this and as a resort, England resorted to long punts and speedy counter attacks to offset his ineffectiveness. Of the 12 goals scored by the Three Lions, 3 were penalties while 6 were from corner kicks.
Kane may have scored 6 goals but 3 were penalties, one was an inadvertent deflection while the two against Tunisia were a poacher's instinctive goal inside the box.
He may end with the Golden Boot award after the loser's final on Sunday but Kane has shown little of his qualities in this World Cup
#1 Lionel Messi (Argentina)
One of Argentina’s greatest ever players, for too long the weight of expectation on Messi’s shoulders to have a Maradona 2.0 effect on the national team’s fortunes seem to have weighed him down.
However, he failed to get going during the World Cup, affected in no small way by the incompetence of Argentina's manager Jorge Sampaoli and the daft nature of the tactics employed.
His missed penalty against Iceland was the low point of what has been a miserable campaign for the Argentine where he has looked slow, not affected play as much as he can and has been man marked at every point in time.
He was almost non-existent in the 3-0 defeat to finalists Croatia as the man-marking tactics employed by Zlatko Dalic's men curtailed him effectively. These tactics and the brilliance of Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric forced one of the world's greatest players to fall deep into midfield.
He was roused for the last group game against Nigeria where he scored a majestic goal and made two assists in the 4-3 loss to France in the second round.
Despite these efforts, he never really got going and he will look back with disappointment on the World Cup.
