World Cup 2014: Week One

Written by The Ball is Flat Forum member Curtis Saiti: This is a relatively long post. It is just my personal review of what I have witnessed so far.

Best game: This was hard to select because virtually every game had loads of goals. Judging by the number of goals in each game, this promises to be the best World Cup in a long time. There have been many super matches, but I think Spain vs The Netherlands tops them all. Well, unless you are a Spain fan, like me.

Best player: Many players have come to the fore for their countries: Neymar, Benzema, van Persie, Robben, Mueller, Ochoa… Personally, how Joel Campbell carried his team against Uruguay puts him at the top of the pile. Best goal: As I said, they have been loads and loads of goals. Unfortunately, quality and quantity share little in common apart from their almost identical spelling. As it stands, the only goal that took my breath away was Van Persie’s first against Spain.

Best team: Germany and Italy all came out strong in their opening matches considering their opposition. However, The Netherlands were simply out of this world against the defending champions. Most intriguing match: Italy vs England was like a game of chess.

Most disappointing team: Spain were hammered by the Dutch. Brazil are struggling. Portugal were truly awful. All were extremely disappointing, but Uruguay were worse against Costa Rica.

Best coach: Louis van Gaal should have gotten this. But I’ll give it to Ottmar Hitzfield. While overturning a score against Honduras is not something to shout about for a European team, it should not be understated that the goal scorers were all substitutes. His substitutions were on point.

Worst player: When someone asked me to name my best ever World Cup 11, I had Iker Casillas in it. However, during Spain versus Holland, I almost tried to hide under a chair. Until now, I’m still wondering what the saint consumed before Spain’s game against Holland. He was truly awful during that game.

Most disappointing player: Now, there are many players who were playing hide and seek during their matches. But I’ll give this to Edinson Cavani. Apart from his two minutes of fame while taking and celebrating his penalty, Cavani was otherwise anonymous during Uruguay vs Costa Rica. I chose him because many people rate him as a 60 m euro player.

Worst game: I must admit, choosing this one was difficult since we’ve had goal galore in virtually every game. Brazil – Mexico was not that bad even though it finished nil-nil. Therefore, Nigeria vs Iran wins this by default. Honestly, this was not a bad game because I have seen worse, just not at this World Cup. Worst team: Spain were walloped. Portugal were hammered. But Uruguay were worse. This is just my opinion. Comments and critics are welcome.

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