Match day 2 featured three games, but only one was on anybody's mind. The marquee matchup of the opening round, Netherlands vs Spain lived up to the hype. The 6 goal thriller was far and away the most exciting game of the day. The game started out in the best way Spain could have imagined. A penalty kick was awarded to Spain, just 26 minutes in, after Diego Costa was judged to have been brought down in the box. Xabi Alonzo stepped up to the spot and smashed it past the Dutch goalkeeper (http://a.pomf.se/cpcuwy.webm). Spain deserved the lead after dominating the opening period of play. In the closing minutes of the 1st half the Netherlands manufactured a chance through a lethal counterattack, capped of by a immaculate finish from Robin Van Persie. (http://gfycat.com/PersonalFakeChital) It went into half time tied 1-1. It didn't stay that way for long. Less than 10 minutes into the second half the Dutch took the lead. A long ball from Wesley Sneijder was wonderfully taken out of the air by Arjen Robben, who beat 2 Spanish defenders, and then slid the ball by goalkeeper, Iker Casillas (http://gfycat.com/BlindWholeGazelle). Spain were beginning to panic a little. 10 minutes later, in the 65th minute, the Dutch doubled their lead, and effectively killed off the game. A free kick from the left side was floated to the back post, where defender Stefan de Vrij rose above the Spanish defense and turned it in with his head (http://gfycat.com/OrganicGreedyCero). From that point on, Spain began to unravel before our eyes. The Dutch were in complete control of the game, and in the 72nd minute Van Persie added a fourth. An inexplicable error from captain Iker Casillas gifted Van Persie his second goal of the match (http://a.pomf.se/ygkppy.webm). And 8 minutes later Robben got his second goal, and capped off the match with one of the most composed finishes you'll ever see (http://a.pomf.se/wbfikr.webm). The Netherlands were able to squash the demons of 2010 by dealing the Spanish the worst defeat ever suffered by a defending world championship side. It was a game that will live on in Dutch memories for a long time, and one that the Spanish camp will need to forget about as fast as possible. The Dutch look certain to get out of the group, while Spain still have work to do.
Cameroon and Mexico began the day with a match filled with controversy. 2 early goals for Mexico forward, Giovani Dos Santos, were wrongly disallowed for offside. The game was filled with chances but neither team could find a way to score a goal that the referee had no problems with. It wasn't until the 61st minute that Mexico finally found the breakthrough. Oribe Peralta knocked in the rebound, after Dos Santos' initial shot was saved by the Cameroonian keeper.(http://gfycat.com/ConsciousMisguidedKusimanse) Mexico left themselves with an excellent chance to advance, while an uninspired performance from Cameroon leaves them with little hopes of progression.
Chile and Australia took part in the night cap for the triple header on match day 2. The Chileans were heavily favored to beat the Socceroos without much resistance. It certainly looked like that would be the case after the first 15 minutes. In the 12th minutes, a beautiful passing move saw the Chileans go up 1-0 after Alexis Sanchez put it into the back of the net. (http://gfycat.com/LeanUnawareAmericanbittern) Just 2 minutes later, they doubled their lead through Valdivia (http://gfycat.com/NextOldfashionedFantail). With a perfectly placed strike following an excellent break by the Chileans, it seemed like the rest of the game was going to be 1-way traffic. However, after the second goal, Chile seemed to take the foot of the gas pedal, and it cost them. Tim Cahill, who was menacing all night, found the net with a header following a cross from the right hand side (http://gfycat.com/BigheartedFirsthandBighorn). Going into half time Chile held a narrow 2-1 lead, but the Aussies seemed the more likely to add another goal. The second half was filled with uninspired football, a far cry from the excitement in the Netherlands/Spain game. Tim Cahill terrorized the Chilean defense in the air, but was unable to add to his goal tally. Neither team seemed all that likely to score, the Chileans had a lot of possession in the attacking third but were unable to finish their chances. It wasn't until the second minute of stoppage time, the 92nd minute, that Chile were able to breakdown the Australian defense. When a deflected shot fell to Jean Beausejour, he smashed a perfectly measured shot to the far post, past the Aussie goalkeeper (http://gfycat.com/CelebratedFinishedBoilweevil). Chile gave themselves real hope to reach the round of 16, but they'll have to perform better if they want to get any points out of their next two games against Spain and the Netherlands. For Australia, this was probably their best chance to get a result at this world cup. They were unable to come away from it with anything, but to be fair, they performed far better than I expected them to.
Group A Standings After Round 1
See you tomorrow for match day 3
Games for tomorrow: (bolded game will be featured in tomorrow's preview)
Colombia vs. Greece
Uruguay vs. Costa Rica
England vs. Italy
Ivory Coast vs. Japan
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