World Cup Diary – Day One
HOSTS GET POINTS
What a start, a home win, a controversial refereeing decision and all the magic that is Brazilian football. Brazil opened their campaign with a 3-1 win, but wasn’t before Croatia sent a shockwave taking an early 1-0 lead. Pure placement was behind Neymar’s equaliser, and a ‘soft’ penalty completed his second. Oscar sealed the win at the death with a cool finish, ending the opening match 3-1. Brazil took the points, but Croatia reminded the football world they are capable of surprise throughout the tournament.
GOLD SHORTS
Australia will wear gold shorts as FIFA cannot differentiate between the Chilean blue and our green. The move has angered many on twitter, asking both why? And why last minute? One thing is for sure, the gold shorts will write themselves into folklore if we manage to grab the three points tomorrow.
ALL FIGHTING FIT
Ange has a good headache to have on World Cup eve, with all 23 Australian players to pick from. I expect Cahill to start, but Taggart and Bresciano to have an impact from the bench depending on the situation. Maty Ryan will be a busy man in between the sticks as the inexperienced pairing of Wilkinson and Spiranovic have trouble dealing with the pace of Chile. Yellow cards could be an issue for the Socceroos as their enthusiasm and physical presence could be seen as reckless by many international referees.
REPLAY OF 2010
The other match in Group B has gone under the radar in Australia, but the remainder of the world are talking about the Spain v Netherlands clash. Many Australians will be setting their alarm clocks to watch this epic battle, which I expect to go the same way as the 2010 final.
Mexico and Cameroon complete Group A, with the winner having a great opportunity to finish second. A draw will hand the group momentum to Croatia for that crucial second place.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura points to the spot to award the hosts a ‘soft’ penalty.
TONIGHT’S SCHEDULE (Prediction in brackets)
Group A
Mexico v Cameroon (Mexico 2-1)
2am AET
Spain v Netherlands (Spain 2-0)
5am
Australia v Chile (Chile 3-0)
8am
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