There have been stand out performers during the opening fortnight of Qatar 2022 – but who makes GOAL's group stage XI?
The World Cup group stages are over and what a wild ride it has been.
Qatar 2022 has been the tournament of shocks, with the likes of Morocco and Japan stealing the show and former powerhouses such as Germany and Belgium being sent packing.
But what players have been the stand out performers during the opening fortnight? We asked some of GOAL’s writers to come up with the World Cup group stage XI.
Using a 4-2-3-1 formation, this is what they have gone for…
Getty ImagesGK: Wojciech Szczesny (Poland)
There can’t really be anyone else, can there? Without Szczesny, Poland would certainly be on the plane home, rather than looking forward to a knockout game against France. The Juventus goalkeeper has been in sensational form so far and has saved two penalties, including one to deny Lionel Messi against Argentina. Poland may have still lost that game 2-0, but conceding one more goal during that dramatic final group stage game would have seen Mexico finish above them in the table. It was only Szczesny's heroics that saw the Polish avoid a far heavier defeat.
AdvertisementGettyRB: Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)
Morocco have been one of the stories of the World Cup and the form of Hakimi has been crucial to their impressive results. The Paris Saint-Germain star started all three of his nation’s group stage games, helping them to two clean sheets as they topped Group F, finishing above Croatia and Belgium in the process. He also produced one of the assists of the tournament as he sent Youssef En-Nesyri away to score what proved to be the winner against Canada. Hakimi has been one of Europe’s stand out right-backs for some time and now he is replicating that club form on the biggest stage of all.
Getty ImagesCB: Harry Souttar (Australia)
Of all the surprises of the group stage, Australia are surely the biggest. The Socceroos arrived with plenty of enthusiasm but little expectation, but Graham Arnold’s side delivered a masterclass in determination, teamwork and concentration, ensuring European Championship semi-finalists Denmark were sent home early. The star of their team has been Souttar, whose ultra-competitive performances at centre-back are made all the more remarkable by the fact that he had had only played one competitive game in 12 months leading up the tournament, having been sidelined with a knee injury. The Stoke City man’s style is unfussy, but was crucial as Australia kept clean sheets against both Tunisia and Denmark. Whatever happens from here on, the 24-year-old can be proud of his efforts in Qatar.
Getty ImagesCB: Harry Maguire (England)
Maguire deserves huge credit for the way he has performed so far in Qatar. He came into the tournament under intense scrutiny having lost his place in the Manchester United team following a series of major blunders. But he received the backing of England boss Gareth Southgate, who refused to listen to the calls for Maguire to be dropped, and has repaid his manager with a series of excellent performances. Maguire has helped England to two clean sheets and he was immense in the draw with the United States, while the majority of his team-mates struggled. He has also been a big threat from set pieces in the opposition’s penalty area and has been unlucky not to get himself on the scoresheet at least once.