This first week (circa) of the World Cup has been as shocking as it has been fun. And while the stars have stepped up- Messi, Neymar, Benzema and Suarez- the surprising success of teams of Costa Rica, as well as great showings from Australia and Iran, have made this a great competition to this point. But the shocks haven't just come from the underdogs: Spain and England's premature exits were hardly expected, and Luis Suarez's brace against England was astounding considering the fact that he had been in a wheelchair just a month ago. The fact that this competition has seen more goals since the 1958 edition doesn't take away from the spectacle.
The Biggest Surprises:
1.) Spain's early exit
The defending world champions got an early boot home from Brazil after being thrashed by the Dutch, 5-1, and being run by Chile. Both of their opponents had no trouble in the game, and both could have won by more. Spain looked completely uncomfortable with the level of pressure being put on them by the Dutch and Chileans, in stark contrast to their cool displays at the last three international tournaments. The fact that the defending champs were eliminated in the group stage was, however, not against the trend. Italy, France and Greece all went out in the first stage after winning major tournaments. However, their desmise is no less of surprise.
2.) Costa Rica
CONCACAF has a reputation for being one of the easier continents to qualify on. But the teams from North America and the Caribbean are impressing so far; Mexico played well against Cameroon and held Brazil to a scoreless draw, and the US looks like they will progress from the "Group of Death." But the biggest shock has been Costa Rica, in the second hardest group of the tournament. After beating a Luis Suarez-less Uruguay 3-1, the team looked to get anything out of a tough game with Italy. But, instead of scrapping out a draw, Costa Rica stole all three points, and thus ensured their spot in the Round of 16. And with a game against already eliminated England coming up, the Costa Ricans could look to get all nine points out of the group.
3.) South American support
While we all expected Brazil, and Argentina, to have great numbers of their fans in the stadium, the number of Colombian and Chilean fans has been shocking. In Colombia's first game against Greece, the commentators repeatedly remarked on how the game was almost a home one for the Colombians: the entire stadium was yellow. Chile has had no shortage of supporters either, with 100 or so breaking into the game against Spain so that they could see it. Brazil and Argentina have met expectations, and this, on top of the air around the tournament, that no European team will win in South America, gives the home countries massive boosts.
Honorable Mentions:
Australia's good showings against the Dutch and Chileans got them no points, but great respect, and show the potentially bright future their team has. Iran nearly held Argentina to a draw, and it took an amazing Messi strike to beat them; in fact, the Iranians had been bossing the game, almost winning it several times and being robbed of a deserved penalty. And England have looked so underwhelming, even with the unusually low English expectations. Although they played well against Italy and Uruguay, their back line and goalkeeper were weak, and though their attack looked potent, it didn't kill off enough chances to ensure victory.
