World Cup Round Up: Match Day 2

First up, the second fixture in group A, which saw Mexico face Cameroon. Neither team qualified for the World Cup particularly convincingly, and both needed a positive result in the game, with Brazil and Croatia still to come.

Rafael Marquez lead out his side, becoming the first person to ever captain his country at four World Cups in the process, and Samuel Eto'o lead out his, after some solid national anthems, we were underway in the lashing rain.

The game picked up where yesterday's had left off, with incompetent officials. Giovani Dos Santos had the ball in the net, after a stunning ball from Hector Herrera, but the linesman judged him to be offside. He wasn't.

After some early Mexican dominance, with smart passing and quick transitions, Cameroon came into the game a bit: Eto'o hit the post when he probably should have scored , and a goal mouth scramble resulted in Cameroon, somehow, not scoring. But that was all Cameroon had to offer for most of the tie.

Dos Santos had the ball in the net again, after nodding in at the back post from a corner, but the linesman on the far side AGAIN called an offside, and AGAIN he was incorrect, this time because the corner came of a Cameroonian head before it fell to Dos Santos.

At least, that's how I think it works.

But thankfully, unlike yesterday, bad decisions wouldn't cost a team the game, because on the 61st minute mark, Peralta put Mexico ahead.

It was a nice move from Mexico, which resulted in Dos Santos with acres of space in the box. Charles Itandje saved Dos Santos' effort well, but he could only watch as Peralta tucked away the rebound.

Due to a stretching save from Guillermo Ochoa, to deny Benjamin Moukandjo's late header, and a horrible miss from Javier Hernandez, the game finished 1-0 to the Mexicans.

And it was a deserved victory too; Mexico did play very well, and I'm very much looking forward to their game with Croatia, but Cameroon were absolutely abject, they spent most of the game with six at the back and Mexico still managed to find gaps and exploit them.

Full Time: Mexico 1-0 Cameroon

61 - Peralta

MOTM: Hector Herrera

Do you know the feeling of all your World Cup predictions being written off in one foul swoop? I have Spain to win, David Silva for golden ball and Iker Casialls for the golden gloves. Yeah.

In what was an unbelievable series of events, the Netherlands side - with seven World Cup debutants in the starting eleven - dismantled the World and European champions 5 goals to 1. Insane. Only four years after Spain had beaten Holland 1-0, to become the World champions.

Despite the Netherlands having the first chance of the game, when Arjen Robben slipped through Wesley Sneijder, only to see his shot saved by Casialls, it looked like business as usual for Spain, as Xabi Alonso, put the Spanish ahead with a 27th minute penalty, which he riffled into the bottom left corner, just out of Jasper Cillissen's reach.

Spain should have doubled their lead when Andres Iniesta played in David Silva with an inch-perfect pass, but Silva's weak chipped effort was easily batted away by Cillissen.

The miss would prove costly as on the cusp of half time, Holland equalised in spectacular fashion. A wonderful ball from my man Daley Blind, found Robin Van Persie, who then dispatched a glorious diving header, which sailed over the head of Casialls and into the back of the net. The best goal of the tournament so far.

That goal gave Holland all the momentum going into the break, and my, oh my, did they use it.

Early in the second half, Xavi, lost possession and Blind played another pin-point pass - raking in more fantasy points for me - which Robben controlled with ease, before selling Gerrard Pique and putting the Dutch ahead.

The Netherlands weren't content with that and smelt the Spanish blood in the water; Robben carried the ball forward with his blistering pace, he gave it to Daryl Janmaat, who inturn teed up Van Persie, whose volley crashed against the cross bar.

The Dutch didn't have to wait for long for a third however, as Stefan de Vrij - who'd early given away the penalty - tumbled the ball home at the back post, after Casialls couldn't reach the incoming corner.

Casialls' evening went from bad, to utter shight, as he miss-controlled a back pass which allowed van Persie to deposes him and poke the ball in to the back of the net for a fourth goal.

But it still wasn't over for Spain; Robben again demonstrated his pace, racing from his own half to latch on to Sneijder's ball, he then outpaced Sergio Ramos, before cutting into the box, waiting for Casialls to look as if he was begging on his knees and smashed the ball past two Spanish defenders on the line for the fifth and final goal.

It was a sensational game and an unbelievable result, one which could change the international football landscape considerably. I can only dream of every game being this good and dramatic.

Full Time: Spain 1-5 Netherlands

27- Alonso

44, 72 - Van Persie

53, 80 - Robben

64 - de Vrij

MOTM: Arjen Robben, but anyone on that Dutch side could have got it.

It is rather difficult to go from such a remarkable game, between to footballing heavyweights, to Chile v Australia, but we did and the game wasn't half bad at all. At least I think it was, I was slightly intoxicated at time of viewing.

The game went in the direction that I imagine everybody thought it would, with Chile getting the better of our Australian brothers, at the score of 3-1, but the Aussies weren't as bad as I thought they'd be, to be fair.

Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez opened the scoring, after Charles Aranguiz did remarkably well to keep the ball alive and get a cross into the box, Eduardo Vargas guided the header down and Sanchez did the rest from six yards out.

Sanchez then turned provider two minutes later, as he turned Mile Jedinak, before teeing up Jorge Valdivia, whose dipping shot, from the edge of the area, went in off the underside of the bar.

Australia, to their credit, didn't crumble to pieces like Spain did before them and as Chile's performance grew slack, Tim Cahill pounced over Gary Medel, to head in an excellent Ivan Franjic cross.

Into the second half, Australia came close to equalising but were denied by Chile captain Claudio Bravo, whose brilliant save kept out Mark Bresciano's fierce volley.

Chile then came close to adding a third goal when Sanchez found Vargas in the area, but the latter's goal bound effort was somehow swept off the line by Alex Wilkinson.

Despite Australia's best efforts, Chile did add a third in the 90th minute. Matthew Ryan, initially blocked Mauricio Pinilla's shot, but Wigan Athletic's Jean Beausejour drove home the rebound into the bottom corner, securing the three points for Chile and representing the Championship as he did it, over to you, Chungy.

Full Time: Chile 3-1 Australia

12 - Sanchez    35 - Cahill

14 - Valdivia

90 - Beausejour

MOTM: Alexis Sanchez

It's been a brilliant opening to the tournament, at this stage four years ago we'd only seen a mere four goals, so far this year we've seen fithteen. Long may it continue.

World Cup Player Pun of the Day:

Tommy Oar

Tommy Paddle