Group A : Hosts Brazil top the group after one round of matches with a 3-1 win over Croatia on opening day which saw Neymar and Oscar sizzle. Mexico are not so far behind and are currently second in the group after they beat Cameroon in a match with Oribe Peralta scoring the winner. A few howlers on the refereeing front were definitely noted and criticized in these matches. Brazil are definitely favorites to clinch this group and look to be on path to do so. Mexico and Croatia would be vying for the second spot on my view. Hope Cameroon mix things up and throw us something we don’t expect.
Group B : The most talked about game of the tournament so far happened when defending champions Spain were handed a beating by Netherlands in the 5-1 encounter on day 2. Robben and van Persie completely destroyed the La Roja . van Persie’s header to open the Dutch scoring is definitely the frontrunner for goal of the tournament so far. Chile got off to a good start as well beating the Socceroos 3-1 and currently sit second in the group. I will not write off Spain following their loss but the way Chile played against the Australians. Alexis Sanchez and his compatriots Eduardo Vargas and Arturo Vidal shone in their first game and anything is possible if they continue in their stride.
Group C : In what may seem like a group of evens, Colombia were stand out performers after one game with a 3-0 win over the Greeks. Meanwhile Cote d’ Ivoire came from behind to beat Japan 2-1 and stand second in the group. Colombia’s James Rodriguez and Victor Ibarbo alongside Ivory Coast’s fullback Serge Aurier and forward Wilfred Bony would get top billing in my view.
Group D : in what some may choose to call the Group of Death , a surprise win over Uruguay for Costa Rica saw the group thrown wide open. The Costa Ricans beat Uruguay 3-1. Much of the Costa Rican team played well with standout performances from forward Joel Campbell and defender Oscar Duarte. Uruguay clearly lacked the creativity provided by Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. In the other fixture, 2006 winners Italy beat England 2-1. It was a well matched first half between these two sides but Balotelli’s goal in the second half for the Azzuri off a wonderful cross from Candreva won the game for the Italians. England were really off color in the second half. England’s Raheem Sterling was the spark of this game amongst dull performances from seniors like Gerrard and Rooney.
Group E : France saw off Honduras in a solid 3-0 victory although there were some decisions questioned in this match. Karim Benzema seized his opportunities and scored 2 out of France’s 3 goals. In the other game a spirited Swiss side beat Ecuador through a last gasp goal scored by Haris Seferovic. Admir Mehmedi , Valon Behrami and Reto Ziegler were well appreciated performers on the day. Expect some great games from these teams from in the remainder of this tournament.
Group F : Argentina won 2-1 against a confident Bosnia and Herzegovina side. This game saw Lionel Messi score his first goal in a World Cup after going goal less in the last 2 editions. This group also gave the World Cup its first draw which saw Iran and Nigeria end the game with no goals at all. Nigeria were the more dominant side. Argentina shouldn’t have any problems going through as group toppers
Group G : Thomas Mueller was the toast of this group as he accumulated his tally of World Cup goals to 8 with the hat trick he scored in the game against Portugal. The Cristiano Ronaldo led side lost 4-0 and ended up with 10 men thanks to Pepe’s moment of madness and a wee little headbutt which caused the referee to show him a direct red. Toni Kroos was another stand out player for the Germans. None of the Portuguese players did enough to be noticed for the right reasons. In another exciting game, the USA beat Ghana 2-1. This game started off with a goal from Clint Dempsey just past the 30 second mark. The rest of the game continued with the same tempo. Ghana’s Andre Ayew equalized at 82’ but John Brooks Jr sealed the game for the Americans with a header in the 86’.
Group H : Belgium beat Algeria 2-1 with goals from substitutes Marouane Fellaini and Dries Mertens. The Red Devils struggled in the first half and Jan Vertonghen gave way for Algeria to lead after a foul on Sofiane Feghouli who was successful in converting the penalty. A strong second half performance saw the Belgians win this encounter. Kevin de Bruyne was the pick of Belgium’s players from this game. In the other encounter a major goalkeeping blunder from Russian custodian Igor Akinfeev allowed South Korea to go front. The game ended at 1-1 thanks to a goal from Aleksandr Kerzhakov in the 74’.
Well that is just about how the tournament has gone so far. We have seen more than double the number of goals at the same stage 4 years back in South Africa. Let us hope that this World Cup gets better as we progress. Cheers to football !
