World Cup 2018: Group stage first round - Winners and Losers

So, the first round fixtures of the 2018 FIFA World Cup group stages are done and dusted and believe us when we tell you that Russia 2018 has all the makings of a Hollywood thriller that overwhelms you with its twists and turns.

We've seen some spectacular goals, some unexpected results, a few breakout stars and quite a lot of drama. While there's still a long way to go in this edition of the World Cup, let's take a look at winners and losers at the end of the first 16 matches:

---

Winners

Russia dismantled Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the first match of the tournament

Russia

The hosts lit up the World Cup with a spectacular 5-0 win over Saudi Arabia in the opening game. But how far will they go? Well, it doesn't matter. They have already won hearts of their countrymen.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the GOAT?

GOAT or not, we’ll leave that debate for another day, but just how impactful has Cristiano Ronaldo been for Portugal? The Real Madrid talisman scored three goals to salvage a point against the star-studded Spain side, with a bit of luck for sure, but also with a stunning free-kick. There is a long way to go, but what a start, Cristiano!

Iceland

Who would have thought that Iceland, playing in their first ever World Cup, would take on Lionel Messi’s Argentina and come out with a 1-1 draw at the end of it? Well, they did. It was a historical performance from the Icelanders; they had a generous Messi to thank though.

Ah, the different guises of the beautiful game.

Mexico

In what was a major upset in the tournament, the El Tri settled old scores with their Confederations Cup tormentors Germany, as they beat the defending champions 1-0 in their group stage opener. Hirving Lozano, their goal-scorer, was electric that afternoon and has got all the attributes to become the breakout star of the competition.

Now, whether this was a fluke or one of the many to come for the Mexicans, we’ll have to wait and see.

Harry Kane

Captain Kane, as we would like to call him from now on, was in the thick of things when The Three Lions pipped Tunisia 2-1 on Monday. The Tottenham Hotspur man was at the right place at the right time as he found the back of the net twice to help England register their first win of the campaign.

Japan

Coming into the World Cup, the Japanese were perhaps the most underwhelming of the lots, however, with a 2-1 win over Colombia, they showed why they shouldn’t be taken lightly in the games to come.

They are the Blue Samurais, after all.

Losers

David de Gea had a horror night against Portugal

David de Gea

Widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, David de Gea went about a complete season with Manchester United without committing too many errors but on national duty, he flinched at the first instance.

In what was a horror show for the Spaniard, he fumbled and allowed a Cristiano Ronaldo shot to go past him on an eventful night against Portugal.

However, we believe it was an aberration and expect the shot-stopper to prove his worth in the games to follow

Lionel Messi

Eleven shots, three on target, zero goals and a penalty missed. This is not the kind of stat one would associate with the great Lionel Messi at the end of a match. As uncharacteristic as it sounds, that’s all the Argentinian could muster against Iceland at the final whistle.

It’s early days but he needs to up his game against Croatia if Argentina are to qualify for the round of 16 and remain World Cup contenders.

Germany

The champion's curse got to the Germans against Mexico as they looked a pale shadow of the team that lifted the trophy in 2014. Call it complacency or overconfidence; Joachim Low’s men were just not good enough and they can’t afford any more slip-ups in the upcoming games.

Jorge Sampaoli

For all his pre-World Cup talks and promises, the Albiceleste boss played a fairly defensive line-up against a team like Iceland and the result was there for everyone to see.

They lacked imagination and creativity in the final third as they often looked over-reliant on Messi. The sight of Paulo Dybala, Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Pavon on the bench didn’t augur well with the fans either.

Sampaoli needs to choose his first XI carefully for the game against Croatia as one more slip-up could put Argentina in muddy waters.

Didier Deschamps

France won but their manager makes our list of losers. Here’s why.

Just look at the quality in their squad, and how ordinary the Australian team is. Then think about how Didier Deschamps’s men won, struggling to create any danger and having to leave it really late.

It’s fair to say that the Les Blues boss couldn’t bring the best out of the talented players at his disposal but hey, it’s just the first game.

Poland

With all due respect to Senegal, it would be fair to say that the Poles were quite generous towards them in their opening clash. What was touted to be a clash between two of Europe’s top attacking forwards - Robert Lewandowski and Sadio Mane, was eventually decided by two individual errors.

Never mind, Poland, what’s done is done. It’s time to look ahead.