WC 2022: Balla la Portugesa

Switzerland - Cameroon 1-0

Brazil - Serbia 2-0

Portugal - Ghana 3-2

Uruguay - South Korea 0-0

Just as I was complaining yesterday that I don't get to watch enough games, I actually manage to see a good chunk of each. I watched the first hour of Switzerland - Cameroon, and I thought, for the first half at least, Cameroon played better. Goes to show, playing better stands for naught if you don't take advantage of the time you have the ball. Switzerland came out of the dressing room with a lot more purpose and scored immediately. Not sure how the rest of the half panned out, but I think the direction of the game might've reverted a bit.

What with a number of Swiss players having Albanian roots, I imagine they'll be merciless against Serbia, which means Cameroon can already book the plane home. Shame, really, but a reminder that at this level of the game it's all about small margins with immense consequences.

A big plus of this World Cup is the strength of African teams. We're moving away from having the one African sensation, and more and more towards having Africa represented to a level close to Europa and South America. Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal have all brought strong, respectable teams, while Tunisia and Morocco are bringing the Maghrebian African representation. Add to this the love of football and the growth of the game in the Middle East, and the beautiful game is truly going global.

I mean, yes, Ghana lost to Portugal, but they gave a great account of themselves, drawing level on 1 and making the Portuguese nervous after that second goal. Portugal played well, dominated the game and are deserving winners, yet the result somehow still feels harsh on Ghana. I remember their 2-2 draw against Germany in 2014 as one of the best game of the tournament, yet Ghana still had nothing to show for it, and were eliminated in the group stage despite being equals of the eventual world champions.

They still stand a chance this time around, despite an impressive Portugal display the group is still wide open. Anything can happen in Uruguay - Portugal and I wouldn't even put it past the Koreans to hold off for a draw against the Lusitans. I mean, yeah, Uruguay was the slightly better team against South Korea, but judging by the first half, a draw feels like the fair result.

Uruguay is a few notches below that beautiful team of 2010, while South Korea bring the typical SE-Asian insane amount of effort to the table, backed by a strong discipline. It's amazing how well the Koreans were keeping the shape of their formation throughout. Plus the spark of Son, always a goal threat.

And lastly, Brazil. Luckily I saw the whole game, and it finally feels like the Celesao have put the horrible 2014 defeat to Germany behind them. The Brazilian game was pure poetry, and there was only ever going to be one winner. 2-0 makes me feel that the Serbs actually got away with it a little bit. And of course, THAT Richarlison goal! Without a doubt goal of the tournament so far!

The Serbs gave a poor account of themselves, but even if they had played better, I don't think it would have made much difference. Brazil doesn't have the stellar line-up of the 90s or 00s, but give them a month, they might just become one.

So with the first round of group games over, I feel like England, France, Spain, Brazil and Portugal are looking really strong, while Argentina and Germany are the disappointments. Of course, nothing is decided just yet, but I do dare say the future world champions will be one of the five above.