As expected.....

Brazil won. But not convincingly. They played against Croatia at walking pace. They hardly broke into a sweat. I'm not sure if that is sign that indicates their unpreparedness or their extreme arrogance. But I'd wager that they will warm to their task by quarterfinal time. And seriously, they will win their group comfortably at their present effort level.

The Czechs demolished USA. In a precise display of passing and shooting, the Czechs have sent out a signal to all contenders, especially Italy, that they are going for broke. In a terrible piece of misfortune, Jan Koller, the giant striker, has joined Milan Baros on the injured list, at least for the first round.

The Serbians put in a solid performance, but lost nonetheless. This will be the story of their world cup. But top marks for effort.

France struggled to score in a tough encounter against Switzerland, who along with Australia, are the most improved team in world football. But with Zizu holding the reins, things are bound to change for the better!!

The surprise packets were.....

Italy!!! Unbelievable. They've done with away with catenaccio and are playing real soccer, just like they should. Generations of Italian talent have been wasted because of defensive mindsets. Now, Lippi has them playing a broad, multi-faceted attacking game. Their skill really shone through against an inexperienced Ghanaian team who were worthy opponents. If Italy play like this, my initial predictions will look farcical. Particularly impressive was striker Luca Toni- tall, powerful and agile- a deadly combination of attributes. And of course, Cannavaro and Nesta in defence were impenetrable- right up there with Juan and Lucio, the Brazilian duo despite conceding a great deal of height and weight advantage.

Ecuador. I expected these guys to do better than generally predicted, but they have exceeded even my predictions early on. Giovanni Espinoza in central defence is a regular bone-cruncher. A fine defender, who may get caught out by faster attackers, but still is a formidable presence at the back. And young midfielder Juan Valencia is another fine talent who will have a field day against Costa Rica.

Ivory Coast. Not really a surprise that they played well against Argentina. But the determination and verve with which they kept up the pressure right until the whistle was amazing. In a lesser group, the Elephants would have thrived. But sadly, I think they'll have a hard time against Holland and Serbia.

And finally, AUSTRALIA. What a match!!!! What an unbelievable match!!!!!! Sure, Japan sucked, but still, WHAT A MATCH!! One of the greatest comebacks of all time. This will give Australia huge momentum going in to the Brazil encounter. They wont win, probably not even draw, but they will really put everything into it, and walk away with all the plaudits, I think. And then beware Croatia!! Of course, Croatia put in a massive performance against the champions this morning. They probably played better than the socceroos did against Japan. So the AUS-CRO encounter is shaping up to be a huge one, which will decide who progresses. I hope that goal difference is not an issue so both teams are forced into attacking for a win.

The biggest disappointments........

Japan. They have sadly regressed since 2002. The teamwork and the general intensity is just not there anymore. I think they erred greatly in appointing Zico as the head coach. Last time with a European coach, they excelled. But with a South American, the focus has switched from technique and discipline to hero-centricity. The team is now centred around the two big stars, Nakamura and Nakata. And these two dont have much of a combination.

Poland. After a disappointing performance in 2002, they have started off in terrible fashion against Ecuador. Last time was their first world cup in years, hence the poor form was attributable to inexperience. But now there is no excuse for such a pedestrian display. They were hopeless. Ecuador will probably qualify now, because they will thrash Costa Rica easily.