Bayern Munich players with mixed bag of results in first round of World Cup

After an intense first round of group stage matches, here’s a look at how Bayern Munich’s various representatives have fared in Russia.

The first round of group stages fixtures at the World Cup have just come to an end. There have been some fantastic games in this round, as the underdogs have caused many upsets in this round. Bayern Munich have 11 (12 if you count Leon Goretzka) players at the World Cup, and here is a look at how they fared in this round.

Germany

The most shocking result of this round came on Sunday, when Mexico stunned Germany. El Tri were able to clinch a narrow 1-0 win over the defending world champions. The Germans have been subject to much criticism in the past two days after a flat performance against Mexico.

Manuel Neuer played his first competitive game after eight months, as he started against Mexico. Neuer was largely solid throughout the game, but he conceded a goal on his near post — a slightly disappointing mistake for a goalkeeper of his caliber.

Joshua Kimmich was fantastic while going forward but was suspect defensively throughout the game. Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels were outnumbered when Mexico hit Germany on the counter. Boateng was considerably better than Hummels, as the latter’s lack of pace was exploited by Mexico’s fiery attack.

In the attacking department, Thomas Muller was isolated on the right flank. Muller is not the quickest and his qualities are wasted on the wing. He was a peripheral figure for most of the game. Niklas Sule, Sebastian Rudy and Leon Goretzka were unused substitutes in this game.

Spain

Spain were involved in the most anticipated game of the first round. This game lived up to expectations, as both teams took a point from the game where six goals were scored.

Thiago Alcantara started the game on the bench, before coming on for Andres Iniesta in the final quarter of the match. Thiago brought urgency to the midfield as his link-up with the attacking players was quite slick. His brief cameo might give Fernando Hierro a bit of a selection headache for the upcoming games.

France

The French team opened their account for the World Cup straightaway as they clinched a narrow 2-1 victory over Australia. France were not impressive and their style of play was quite stale for the majority of the game.

Corentin Tolisso started this game in a midfield three along with N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba. Tolisso was not able to stamp his authority on the game, as he struggled throughout his time on the pitch. He had to play fairly deep with Kante as Pogba was allowed to venture forward on a regular basis. It will not be a big surprise if Tolisso starts on the bench against Peru on Thursday.

Colombia

Earlier today, another upset took place in the penultimate game of this round. Colombia were stunned by Japan as the Asian side grabbed a narrow 2-1 win over the South American side. James Rodriguez started on the bench as he was not competely fit to play 90 minutes.

Colombia played most of the game a man down as Carlos Sanchez was sent off in the third minute for handling the ball. The score was level when James came on at the hour mark. Rodriguez got the big chance to equalize for Colombia in the box but his shot was bravely blocked by Yuya Osako. The Colombian playmaker tried his best to make things happen, but the Japanese defense was too resilient.

Next: Germany need Thomas Muller in the center of the pitch

Poland

In the final game of the first round, there was disappointment for one more Bayern Munich player. Poland suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat against Senegal. This result puts their qualification in jeopardy as they will have to win their remaining games. Robert Lewandowski was not able to deliver for Poland. The Polish forward struggled to lead the line as the Senegalese center-backs defended well against him. He came close to scoring from a free-kick, but that was possibly his only good chance to get on the scoresheet.