At long last, it is finally here, the 2014 World Cup. The footballing feast that we won’t see again for four years has served up much to discuss so far and we’ve only just begun. Of course nothing can be perfect and this tournament is no exception…
There’s been the tainting of the tournament by some (at times) aggressive protests against the Brazilian governments willingness to spend $11billion on a football competition, when there are other major concerns in the country that have significantly smaller budgets. Or smaller issues like when you see a penalty smash into the back of the net, only for FIFA to confirm this for you by showing you the ‘goal line technology cam’.
But overall there has been much to enjoy so far and much expected from the rest of the tournament. Here are just some of the ‘wins’ in this competition so far.
Atmosphere
Despite all of the aforementioned protests, the negativity of the Brazilian people hasn’t come close to finding its way inside the stadium. Near full stadiums of vocal supporters have greeted each and every game without fail. While the rendition of the Brazil national anthem by fans and players that continued long after the music stopped and reduced Neymar to tears was in many ways a thing of beauty.
No Bad Sides
It’s fair to say that no one is here to simply make up the numbers. Unfancied teams like Iran, Algeria and Australia have given fantastic accounts of themselves without victories over the bigger sides to show for it. The Aussies in particular were unlucky to slip to a 3-2 defeat to a rampant Dutch side. But it’s Costa Rica beating Uruguay 3-1 that raised the most eyebrows. Nobody is here to simply be whipping boys and the biggest hidings so far have been given to European giants Spain and Portugal.
Goals
Traditionally, too many World Cup games are cagey affairs with both teams more afraid of losing than focussing on winning. And it’s easy to see why. Tournaments can be over after two games so a cautious approach is understandable. Fortunately this careful approach doesn’t seem to have found its way to Brazil. There have been goals galore so far, 1-0 seems to be a thing of the past and long may it continue. If you were unlucky enough to have only caught the Iran/Nigeria game so far then you may have a different opinion.
That Free Kick Spray Thing
I think the heading above explains it all. A spray that ref’s use to mark the ball and the ten yard mark during a free kick stops attackers shifting the ball a few feet nearer the goal and defenders in the wall from creeping forward. As a nation, we saw it in the opening match between Brazil and Croatia and we collectively scratched our heads as we asked why we hadn’t seen this multiple times before.
Big Players
It’s billed as the biggest football competition in the world because it features the worlds very best players. And while there will always be a few like Zlatan Ibrahimovich and Gareth Bale who don’t make it, for the most part that is true. But what good is this when these players don’t perform?
Players not showing their club form on the international stage isn’t a uniquely English problem, it’s widespread throughout the world. It makes sense. Cynics will say that it’s because players get paid more with their clubs and are solely motivated by money, but I think it’s much simpler than that. Players will play their best football in the environment that they feel most comfortable in, playing in the place they play every week with the same players that they play with every week.
But this has not been a concern so far as the world’s best have looked exactly that. Neymar got things off to a good start on opening night and we’ve gone from strength to strength from there. Robin van Persie, Andrea Pirlo, Arjen Robben, the 2010 World Cup golden boot winner Thomas Muller. Even Lionel Messi, much maligned for his World Cup performances, has found the back of the net with a trademark goal. More will be expected from Cristiano Ronaldo and the Spanish stars, but this has truly been the showcase of the best that football has to offer like we hoped it would be. And isn’t it this hope that keeps us up until 1am watching Russia against South Korea?