The group stage of the World Cup in Qatar held a series of big surprises, above all thanks to the Asian contribution. Few expected the end of Belgium, Germany and Denmark. But who surprised in the positive sense of the word from the player’s point of view?
Teo Hernandez
One of the best left-backs of the last two years and a symbol of Milan’s rise, he made a surprise start from the bench. He entered the first group match against Australia after his brother Lucas Hernandez was injured.
He started the 0:1 to 4:1 turnaround with one assist and was a man of the match. It was the same against the Danes, when he put France ahead with a winning combination with Kylian Mbappé. In the third game he was granted a pass.
Wojciech Szczesny
In hand, under the Juventus crisis he was also hired. Since the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in Italy he has made many mistakes, in any case he has been very happy in the tournament. He almost collected four points and qualified for the round of 16.
Out of 21 shots on target, he conceded just two goals from Argentina, holding off Saudi Arabia and Mexico. He took two penalties and with the Poles eventually progressing with a better score, his saves against Argentina and Saudi Arabia are extremely important.
David Raum
It’s a bit of a paradox to highlight the Germany players, but Raum and Jamal Musiala were great fun. The Bayern midfielder is known throughout the football world, but the Leipzig left-back was a great unknown for those unfamiliar with the Bundesliga.
Raum has polished the left side to perfection. Precise centres, dynamism, everything a modern full-back should have. He was called up and down, in the opening match he won a penalty, thus the only goal of the Germans against the Japanese. He assisted for a substitution in the match against Costa Rica.
Bruno Fernando
He certainly didn’t fly to Qatar in the best of shape. He didn’t have good numbers at Manchester United and he didn’t do well in matches either. Moreover, even Ronaldo’s confession, published a week before the tournament, could not increase his well-being.
In any case, Bruno was the main architect of conquering the first place in the group. He assisted twice in the opener against Ghana (3:2), scored twice in the defeat against Uruguay. At the moment he is known for his ease of play, while he has finally become the true fan of Portugal.
Youssouf Sabaly
Senegal were very unpredictable after Sadio Mané’s injury was confirmed, but played very well in all three games. The defense worked together with the Moroccan one of the African selections as the safest, alongside Kalida Koulibaly and thanks to Sabaly.
Like Raum, the right-back impressed with his hard work, but also got extra points for his work with the ball. He helped his team a lot in the transition to attack. The 29-year-old Sabaly is now at Betis Sevilla and next summer could be his last chance to take a big step.
Resources: MS 2022 vs. Kataru, WhoScored
