FOOTBALL EXTRAVAGANZA

For nearly two weeks, hundreds of millions of fans have been glued to their TV screens, watching 32 national teams of the planet battling for the title of world champions. The first games allowed us to form a certain opinion about each of these teams. During this period, we saw questionable decisions by referees, unexpected victories by teams that were regarded as outsiders before the World Cup, fiascos of recognized favourites, including Spain and England, who, according to the results of the first games, lost the chance to continue the struggle in the play-off stage.

It must be noted that only two of the 16 games of the first round ended in a draw (Iran-Nigeria 0-0 and Russia-South Korea 1-1). In addition, the first round was marked by the defeat of three world champions of different years. The crushing 1-5 defeat of Spain, the last world and European champion, to Holland was particularly surprising. The two-time world champion Uruguay lost three goals to Costa Rica, which has never reached for the stars yet, returning only one of them. Against this background, England's (World Champion of 1966) 1-2 defeat to Italy was perceived relatively quietly, which confirmed that an equal fight was observed during the entire match.

At the same time, Brazil beat Croatia in the first round (3-1), France scored three unanswered goals against Honduras, while Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, gained a difficult victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-1).

Another unexpected score was registered at the Germany-Portugal match in Group G. "The German machine" scored three goals against the compatriots of Cristiano Ronaldo in the first half and answered the question about the winner of the game. For authenticity, Germany scored another goal in the second half of the game. The hero of the match that German Chancellor Angela Merkel watched from the stadium was Thomas Muller, who made the first hat-trick of the 2014 World Cup.

In another match of the same group, the United States beat the fairly strong Ghana team 2-1. This game was a good debut for Azerbaijan coach Berti Vogts, who was invited as an adviser by US coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

The first games of the second round became a nightmare for Spain and England, who lost, respectively, to Chile and Uruguay. In Group B, two participants in the play-off stage have already been identified - it's the Netherlands and Chile, while Spain have already said goodbye to the World Cup in the group stage. Costa Rica, beating Italy 1-0 in the second round, proved that the victory over Uruguay was no accident and secured its place in the play-off stage. By the way, this victory also deprived England of all chances to continue the struggle.

For their part, France continue their winning marathon, giving Switzerland, their main competitors in the second round, a crushing 5-2 defeat.

The honoured coach of Azerbaijan Agasalim Mircavadov believes that the World Cup shows the extent of the development of football. "Following the World and European championships, coaches make certain conclusions. I think this World Cup is more interesting than the previous ones, primarily because it's taking place in Brazil, where they love football. Among the South American teams, I see Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay as favourites, and among European teams - Holland and Germany. It will be more difficult for France as they have no bright stars. In the case of England, the result was predictable as the English Premier League doesn't have so many domestic players. God willing, we'll see Azerbaijan in the next world championships. But first of all, we need to get into the final of the European Championship, and then think about the World Cup," Mircavadov told R+.

The former head coach of Azerbaijan, Sahin Diniyev, also gave his forecast for the teams' performances at the World Cup 2014. "In this championship the issue of adaptation clearly manifests itself - South American teams perform better than European ones. After the first round, I can highlight Germany, Holland, Mexico, Argentina and Costa Rica. Although Brazil beat Croatia, the World Cup hosts are not showing a champion's performance. Uruguay's defeat to Costa Rica was unexpected. Uruguay have been using the same players for several years, and the majority of players are old. They couldn't cope with the young Costa Rica players. I expected Spain to lose in the first round, but certainly not 1:5. Spain have been using the same players for almost 12 years. The team needs fresh blood. In addition, many players are too tired. Most of the Spanish team consists of Real and Barcelona players, and these two teams had a very busy season. Mexico, Colombia and Costa Rica have yet to give new surprises, and I think they can reach the semifinals," Diniyev told R+.

The famous football specialist Yunis Huseynov called four teams World Cup favourites. "I'm always rooting for Brazil. But now I don't like their play. Nothing has remained from the previous team. I don't think that with this play, they can become champions. But in any case, along with the Netherlands, Germany and Italy, they remain the favourites of the competition. I think that two of these teams will meet in the World Cup final," Huseynov told R+.

In the meantime, the football festival continues for the fans. In fact, many regard this World Cup as the most interesting in the last 20 years. After the final match on 13 July, we will know the outcome of the World Cup.R+