Group E- Straight Forward for France?

Wow! What a day of football we had yesterday. The quadruple header which gave us a look at both group C and D was absolutely thrilling for the footballing world. We started off with the match between Colombia and Greece. Many had expected this to be a tight affair, but Pablo Armero gave Colombia the lead after 5 minutes. The Greeks created very few chances in between the 5th minute goal from the ex-West Ham left back and Gutierrez's goal for the Colombians on the 58th minute. Greece, who looked devastated by the end of this match, couldn't hold out James Rodriguez in stoppage time and the Colombian Key Player from my Group C preview added a 3rd goal to embarrass the flat and edge less Greek team. They'll really need to up their performance for the 2nd match or else they'll suffer the fate I had predicted (4th in the group). We got a look at the Uruguayan side straight after the Colombians and well, I'm not sure anybody expected the Uruguayan defence to perform so poorly. I'd always claimed in the build up to this tournament (On Twitter) that Uruguay have been overestimated by the English media and my Tweet about Costa Rica which regarded them as the "Team to watch out for at the World Cup", this result was less of a surprise to me than most, but I was still left gobsmacked. This result just showed the beautiful side to our game. Costa Rica- who only managed a draw against Ireland, beat the Copa America holders by 3 goals to 1. Costa Rica's Olympiakos star from last season, who now returns to Arsenal following his loan spell, Joel Campbell, gave the Uruguayan defence nightmares. Defender Duarte, who added to Campbell's equaliser for Costa Rica, looked shaky defensively last night, but he took his goal incredibly well. Substitute Urena, who scored a minute after coming onto the pitch, made it 3-1 and Maxi Pereira lost his discipline and had a wild swipe at Campbell. This showing of frustration at the end of the match conveyed Uruguay's desperate need for their star Luis Suarez to return for the next 2 games. England vs Italy followed that crazy match and well, the very reason I avoided my Group D preview was Steven Gerrard. I didn't want to seem biased against him or any other of the Liverpool contingency present in the English squad, but last night, Gerrard was taught a midfield lesson by Juventus' Andrea Pirlo. England's lack of a 3rd midfielder in the side alongside Henderson and Gerrard meant that Pirlo roamed further forward than expected and left Verratti lying deep in the Italian midfield. And didn't Pirlo's new role work a treat? There was a clear plan to have Sterling tracking the wizard around midfield, but he never got a chance to even get close to the bearded Italian. Pirlo managed to complete a whopping 108 passes, he set up a chance for Balotelli, did a delectable dummy in the build up to the Italian goal and hit a free kick off the bar in the final moments that was so good it left Hart in amazement. The influence exerted on the game by the 35 year old is made more impressive when you account for the energy-sapping heat that existed last night. If Pirlo manages to play like this for the whole tournament, you can expect him to be the Player of the Tournament by the end. The Italian goals came from Marchisio and Balotelli, which ended up being the winner and England's goal came from Sturridge who really deserved the goal for his first half display. Room to be positive for England after last night's disappointment? Yes, of course. But, do they need to up their performance levels for second halves of games? Definitely. The number who went down or were struck with cramp was alarming for Hodgson and physio Gary Lewin (who injured his ankle celebrating Sturridge's goal- in an almost comical occurrence). The 2 a.m kick off between Japan and Ivory Coast was one that was worth staying up for. Keisuke Honda, who tipped the Japanese to win the World Cup, gave his side the lead, but Japan's confidence was torn away with a 2 minute double from Gervinho and Bony which gave Ivory Coast a victory which I certainly didn't predict. Serge Aurier impressed during this game and looks an ideal replacement for new Man City player Bacary Sagna at Arsenal. Are we ready for tonight's triple header? Well, I hope you are because it's going to be another brilliant night.

Group C- The Group of the Unknown

Last night typifies what every single person wants from football as they turn on their TV before every match. We had everything, starting with Mexico who surprised me with a lot of things. Firstly, the decision to drop Chicharito for the first game of the World Cup (Yes, I had him as their key man, I apologise) was not expected by me anyways, although a few journalists had claimed his position was in jeopardy. Secondly, the 5 at the back system didn't surprise me, but the implementation of it was surprisingly good. They pressed very high and Cameroon never actually got a chance to attack Mexico. But, what surprised me most was the incredible performance from Giovani Dos Santos. Although Dos Santos has been doing well in Spain recently, I had expected him to flop at this tournament. But, his performance last night was incredible and Mexico's 1-0 win didn't flatter them as they had 2 goals chalked off in controversial circumstances. As good as Mexico were in Group A, the first game of Group B will be the one that takes all the headlines. The Netherlands managed to get revenge on Spain for the 2010 World Cup final as they beat the holders 5-1. Having admitted in my Group B preview that Louis Van Gaal would come under scrutiny in his post at Manchester United very early on, should he fail at this World Cup, this result came as the most pleasant surprise. Robin Van Persie and Arjen Robben stole the show in what was a terrific (in particular) second half display for the Dutch side. As good as the Netherlands were, let's not expect their win to be fully attributed to the heart and desire they showed following what was a diabolical performance from national captain Iker Casillas. One must wonder if the keeper will hold his reputation as being "charmed" after that. With David De Gea and Pepe Reina waiting for their chance, Casillas is under huge pressure to deliver in the next game. Chile vs Australia was far more predictable than the first game in Group B. However, the Australian manager, Postecoglou, will not feel too disheartened with the performance from his side. Chile took a 2-0 lead within the first 15 minutes, with goals through Alexis Sanchez (should have put him in your fantasy team people) and Jorge Valdivia, and the Australians were written off by many (including myself), however Tim Cahill showed (contrary to my beliefs in the Group B preview once again- yes, I had a bad day) that he's still got it from his days at Everton, as he scored a terrific header. But, as much as the Australians tried to get a second, the final goal from Wigan's Jean Beausejour came as little surprise to anyone. Group B is shaping up to be a terrific group, no pressure on the "minnows" in Group C, eh? 

Group B- A Quick Nation By Nation Preview

After 2 years off the scene, it was very nice to hear such complimentary words spoken about my Group A preview for this World Cup. What a start we had to the World Cup, with Croatia shaking up Brazil's plans to have a party on the pitch in the early stages of the match, as Marcelo was left hitting the ball into the back of his own net. But, Neymar Jr. was not going to have his first match at a World Cup spoiled, as he scored 2 goals to carry Brazil past the resilient Croatian side. Oscar added a late third in a scoreline which flattered the hosts, but the mark of a great side is their ability to win when not playing to their maximum potential. Unsavoury riots occurred around Brazil following the police's decision to use tear gas, to rid of protesters at the Government's decision to spend so much money on hosting the competition. Understandable complaints from the Brazilian public as we see areas of mass poverty still exist in this country. But, after today's game between Cameroon and Mexico, our attention will turn to Group B which many see as one of the "Groups of Death" and I'm here to give you a preview on the group.

World Cup: A Quick Nation By Nation Preview- Group A

4 years on from the annoying Vuvuzelas, Siphiwe Tshabalala lighting up the hearts of many people, England's disappointment (Again!!) and Spain adding to their 2008 European Championships title, we go home! Home to Brazil for this year's World Cup. And boy, do we expect a lot! We've had great controversy in Brazil surrounding the nations decision to host a World Cup when many people are suffering from severe poverty, but from this point on- a lot of Brazil will be enthralled to see what spectacle their nation manages to produce. We expect goals, penalties and ultimately: More disappointment for England. As an Irish man, a quick note must be made on our absence as I inform the world: We'll be back! Now, let's not dwell on Ireland and move into the "real countries" who actually qualified for the tournament.