Best Collected Squad After World Cup Group Stage Round 2

An action-packed football game with comebacks and defeats. With two goals in stoppage time, the Asian team Iran easily defeated the Welsh. Belgium, one of the contenders, was soundly defeated by Morocco. With Bruno's help, Portugal beat Uruguay by a score of 2-0, making them the third team to advance.
Now comes the time for the last day of matches, when many hopes will be dashed, and a select few will shine brightest. The last stretch of the tournament is upon us. But before we get into the last set of group-stage matches, let's look at the second-day squad.

Goalkeeper

Wojciech Szczesny (Poland)

Source: Getty Images
Poland's current World Cup hero is goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. With nine saves from 9 shots faced, he is the best goalkeeper of the World Cup so far. Szczesny's enormous presence behind the Polish defense helped them hold on to their early one-goal lead. Due to Lewandowski's late goal, Poland won the game.

Defenders

Pervis Estupinan As LB (Ecuador)

By tying the Netherlands, Ecuador kept alive its hopes of advancing to the next round. Pervis's contributions were crucial to his team's success against the all-star opposition. The wingback's probing deliveries from open play and set pieces caused chaos in the opponent's box. The Brighton & Hove Albion player put on an impressive offensive effort.

Thiago Silva As CB (Brazil)

Another scoreless draw for Brazil, with Thiago Silva at the center of defense. Although he is one of the older players in the games, the Chelsea center-back has been outstanding. Together, he and Brazil were able to keep their heads above water. High up the field, Silva was making interceptions and tackling opponents. The Brazilian captain did a great job carrying it through.

Pepe As CB (Portugal)

With Ronaldo at the helm, Portugal's 39-year-old center-back has been a mainstay in the team's defense for nearly two decades. Even though Uruguay is a dangerous team, he returned to the starting lineup last night and made some brave tackles to help the team keep a clean sheet. Pepe had trouble keeping up with the fast tempo of the game at times, but his well-timed tackles and strategic positioning helped him prevail.

Keysher Fuller As RB (Costa Rica)

The 28-year-old right defender was one of the most diligent players on the field. He handled and blocked several balls that were sent toward the penalty area. By and large, Fuller was successful in eliminating Japan's danger. Ultimately, he scored a goal to keep his team in the competition. With his left foot, he scored a goal that gave Costa Rica hope after they had been blown out by Spain in their opening match.

Midfielders

Casemiro As CDM (Brazil)

With Casemiro manning the center of defense for Brazil, it's hard to imagine how their defense might ever be breached. The Manchester United player did a fantastic job of defending and capped off his performance with a world-class volley that found the top right corner of the goal. The South American team won 1-0 thanks to his goal, securing their spot in the postseason.

Bruno Fernandes As CM (Portugal)

Bruno's recent performances for Portugal have been spectacular. Ronaldo and company advanced to the round of 16 with a game in hand thanks to his two assists and two goals yesterday against Uruguay. United's best player was the team's catalyst, making crucial assists and pushing relentlessly.

Mohammed Kudus As CM (Ghana)

After a valiant 1-1 draw with Uruguay on game day, South Korea came into the battle full of confidence. But none could have predicted that the show-stopper would be a 19-year-old. The Ajax midfielder scored twice, giving Ghana a solid chance of advancing to the knockout round heading into the final group game. As expected, he demonstrated the traits that make him the highly anticipated prospect that he is. A seasoned intellect housed in a youthful body.

Attackers

Kylian Mbappe As LW(France)

Mbappe seems to have made it a habit of coming up big when his team needs him and single-handedly winning games. When the PSG forward cut inside from the left flank, you knew something big would happen. The French forward put on another spectacular performance, scoring twice to help the reigning champions prevail. At the 86th minute, he scored the game-winning goal, sending France to the next round as the tournament's top seed.

Cho Gue-sung As ST (South Korea)

While it's possible that South Korea came out of their game with Ghana with nothing, Cho proved himself. The 24-year-old forward put up a shift worthy of a center forward. The Ghanaian defense had no idea what was happening when he had the ball at his feet. Once the quality of his crosses increased, he became nearly impossible to stop.

Lionel Messi As RW (Argentina)

Although it may be argued that the great man's age is beginning to show, his play in a must-win game against Mexico should have silenced any critics. The Mexican defense would swarm him whenever he had the ball, but he always managed to evade their attacks. Messi may not have dazzled with spectacular play, but when he finally got a clean look at goal, he buried a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner. He later helped a young player get his first World Cup goal, Enzo Fernandez.