A Case of Belgian Waffles and Rotten Strawberries

Ochoa diving to his right to palm a
shot past the post.
(Pic Courtesy of FIFA.com)

Spiderman would have been proud of Guillermo Ochoa's display against Brazil. So commanding was he, darting from one side of the post to the other, flying in to gather crosses, sprinting across his line to get down to a low shot, palming it around the post. Whatever Brazil threw at him, the Mexican net never bulged.

Immediately though, I could hear murmurs from Samba fans, "Hmm, I doubt Brazil can win the World Cup, better support Netherlands. What about Germany? Or maybe Germany. Belgium, can Belgium do it? Or what about Balotelli? I mean Italy, what about them?"

It might be better to just calm down. Yes, the Brazilians were woeful, no spark and cohesiveness, no Neymar and Oscar, although they were on the pitch, no intricate passing and fanciful wing back play. Simply put, they were horrible, and on this display, they might not be able to really have a go at the other top level teams.

But do not discredit Mexico, as these guys put their heart and soul into getting a result last night, and got it. They now have a chance to win the group, though Croatia might turn the tables and it will depends a lot on whether they can get past Cameroon tonight.

Dries Mertens saved Belgium's blushes with an 80th minute winner
(Pic Courtesy of FIFA.com)

Many a fan expected much of Belgium, labelled as everyone's second favourite to lift the golden trophy.

Picture yourself going into one of the best dessert outlets in town, looking at the mouthwatering menu and picking out a Belgian waffle, with the picture displaying wonderful strawberries, lip-smacking chocolate syrup, sweet melted caramel and a cherry to go with it. So you have ordered the sinful dessert, but when it arrives, the waiter says, "Sorry sir/madam, we've run out of all the other ingredients, but here's your waffle."

Nothing but a flat, stale, unappetizing fawwel, I mean waffle.

Sofiane Feghouli giving Algeria a shock lead from the penalty spot
(Pic Courtesy of FIFA.com)

That was Belgium's performance last night. A team which promised so much looking at the brochure, but delivered almost nothing. The waffle was still there, but everything that made it special was missing. Marc Wilmots has to get into his players to step it up next time around, or they will struggle in the next round. Lukaku, Hazard and De Bruyne especially, have to pull their socks up and get the most out of their compatriots.

Aleksandr Kerzhakov grabbing the equaliser vs South Korea
(Pic Courtesy of FIFA.com)

Russia decided to mimic Belgium's drab display, by not producing much throughout the game, except for Aleksandr Kerzhakov's moment of brilliance. South Korea though did not let themselves down one bit, deservedly taking a point from this match after the whole team put their bodies on the line for each other.

What they did lack though, was that one moment of pizzazz to unlock the Russian defence. Both these teams are capable of beating Algeria, so it would come down to how well they strut their stuff against Belgium. This group is by no means over.

Games tonight, Australia v Netherlands, Spain v Chile, Cameroon v Croatia.

Spain v Chile

Do they still have it in them? Defending champions, back-to-back European kings, teams could not get anywhere near them. But today the talk is, "Has the sun set on Spain?"

In the clash of the 'La Rojas', this could prove to be a decisive moment in history. Spain win, and they're right back in this group. A defeat though, changes not only the complexion of this group, but perhaps also the lives of many of those in Vicente Del Bosque's team.

It might come as a shock, but Chile really do have a proper chance in this match. A young, vibrant and well organised team, with players like Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal who send shivers down opposing defenders' spines, they could do likewise to Spain.

With Spain's lack of pace, unless they start with Torres and Pedro, I'm going for another upset here, with Chile to nick this.

Spain 0-1 Chile

Australia v Netherlands

Before anything else, do not first hope for another 5-1 as it simply will not happen, unless the Australians do not show up. The Dutch under Louis Van Gaal will be brimming with confidence after their display against the World Champions, but they were under the cosh and were able to break away on the counter.

Australia will not play like that though. It is highly likely that they'll pack the defence, and look to hit the Dutch on the counter, sort of giving them the taste of their own medicine. When it comes to quality and class though, can we forsee anything but a Dutch victory here?

Australia 0-2 Netherlands

Cameroon v Croatia

Nico Kovac's side were extremely unlucky to lost agains the Brazilians last time out, despite bossing large parts of the game through Ivan Rakitic and Luca Modric. These two are real gems, and with Mario Mandzukic back in the Croatian side, look for them to score at least a couple of goals tonight against an abject Cameroonian side who do not have much to offer.

If they can get their act together, Croatia could probably run away with this.

Cameroon 1-3 Croatia

The first round of group games are over, with some shocks along the way. What did you make of it? Submit your thoughts in the comments below.

Till next time,