England lead with three players in #JoyWorldCup team of the group stages

There is no open draw in the World Cup, so each nation can plot their route from the group stages all the way to the final in Moscow.

The eight last-16 ties will be played from Saturday, June 30 to Tuesday, July 3. On each day of football, one match will kick-off at 2pm Ghana time and one match at 6pm Ghana time.

All matches will be live on Joy FM. See our live commentary schedule here 

But before then, here’s the best set of players who featured in the group stages, per the Joy Sports team.

Casper Schmeichel 

Schmeichel started out this World Cup on a brilliant as he  won the match of the match award after keeping a clean sheet against a very attacking Peru side who created a lot of opportunities. In the process, Kasper Schmeichel overtook his father, Peter as he (Kasper) now holds the record of the number of minutes played without conceding a goal.

So far, Kasper Schmeichel has saved 12 shots amassing to a 92.3% save rate.

John Stones (England)

John Stones has not only defended well in this tournament, he has also been a handful in attacking situations especially set pieces. It was his header that resulted in Kane’s rebound goal vs Tunisia. His goal scoring exploits did not end there as he scored a brace against Panama to seal qualification to the next round.

Andreas Granqvist (Sweden)

Currently known as Sweden’s player of the year (the only person to win the accolade since Zlatan’s year-by-year dominance of the award from 2006), Granqvist came into this tournament with a lot of weight on his shoulders. In a group where many tipped Sweden to be knocked out of the group stages, the leadership and stewardship of Granqvist helped the Swedes top the group as he scored 2 goals.

Diego Godín (Uruguay)

If we ever run out of rocks, we would not be so worried because we know we have Diego Godin. He has been a leader at the back of the Uruguayan defence and they are still yet to concede in this tournament.

Kieran Trippier (England)

England have scored 4 goals from set pieces so far. Trippier has been responsible for delivering quality crosses during set pieces. He has made numerous marauding runs down the flanks and created a number of chances. He seems to be enjoying the wingback role and no wonder England missed him against Belgium.

Philippe Coutinho (Brazil)

Before the World Cup, Neymar was expected to take the tournament by storm. However, it is Coutinho, the Barcelona man who seems to be pulling all the strings for Brazil so far. He is playing with more freedom in the middle of the park and he has registered 2 goals and 1assist so far. Coutinho seems to be alleviating the pressure of Neymar.



Luka Modric (Croatia)

Arguably the player of the tournament as things stand, Modric has dominated games from the center of the park. His best performance has been against Argentina where he scored a contender for goal of the tournament. He pulled the strings for the Croats who ended up topping group D.

Juan Quintero (Colombia)

After impressing at 2013 U-20 World Cup, Quintero (main photo) looked set for stardom, but after several years under the radar the Columbian star is showing the world how good he can be. He was very influential in Colombia’s qualification to the round of 16 after scoring 1 goal and assisting Yerry Mina twice.

Eden Hazard (Belgium)

The captain of the golden generation of the Red Devils has been nothing short of sensational. He is really lighting up this tournament with his amazing dribbles and turns. 2 goals and 1 assist in 2 games speaks well of the Chelsea star as he was rested against England for the round of 16 fixtures.

Harry Kane (England)

Harry Kane has been five star this tournament as he currently leads the golden boot chart with 5 goals. Kane single-handedly dragged England against Tunisia as his brace gave the Three Lions three points. He also scored a hat-trick against Panama as England won 6-1.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

In a thrilling game between Portugal and Spain where the game begged for a world class performance, Ronaldo stepped up and delivered a masterclass. A hat-trick against the tournament favourites was a statement of intent. His diving header against Morocco ensured that Portugal edge out the North Africans. Although he missed a penalty against Iran, he has done enough to still be in the team of the group stages.

Substitutes 
Hyun-Woo Cho (South Korea)
Thiago Silva (Brazil)
Ricardo Rodriguez
Christian Eriksen (Denmark)
Isco (Spain)
Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)

Source:Myjoyonline