World Cup 2018: 5 stars who disappointed the most in the first round
The first week of the FIFA World Cup was an enthralling one. It was filled with upsets and thrillers. Iceland drew 1-1 against the mighty Argentina. It has been the biggest upset of the tournament thus far. Australia came close to drawing with France but a lob from Paul Pogba saved the day for Les Bleus. Portugal drew 3-3 with Spain in what was touted to be the most exciting group stage game.
A lot of the big stars failed for their respective teams which also led to the team's downfall. Here we look at 5 such superstars who couldn't set the stage on fire during their team's first match of the tournament.
#5 Lionel Messi
He is one of the best players in the world. He has won several Ballon D'or awards in his careers. The star striker had a disastrous outing against Iceland when he attempted 11 shots and was unsuccessful on each of those 11 attempts. He even missed out on a penalty chance against the giant killers, Iceland. Incidentally, this is the third penalty he has missed for Argentina, he even missed out in the penalty shootout of a Copa America Final.
He was expected to match Cristiano Ronaldo's performance but he didn't even come close to matching it. The Argentina legend has played 125 matches in which he has scored 64 goals. He will look to put that dismal showing behind him and put his best foot forward against The Balkans in their next match.
#4 David De Gea
The Spanish goalie had a game to forget as he conceded three goals. Although the penalty and the free kick are something he couldn't do anything about, the 2nd goal from Ronaldo is something he will regret. It was a regulation save but De Gea made an absolute meal out of it. He let the ball slip through his hands and let it go for a goal. The best goalie in the world shocked everyone including the Portuguese with that schoolboy error.
He is a much better goalkeeper than what was seen against Portugal and expect the reliable Manchester United player to bounce back strong in the next match.