Mexico 1-0 Cameroon

A typhoon hit the Cameroon and even with the linesman ruling out two perfectly good goals, the Africans were still unable to defeat the Mexicans.

The wettest game of the World Cup was no thriller, the pressure to win too intense.  After all, every one and their grandmother and their grandmother's dog knows that Brazil will win this group and everyone else is battling for second.

Advantage Mexico after Peralta's daisy cutter. Cameroon will have left it late if they progress beyond the group stage, as late as they arrived in Brazil following some player crisis or other. They won't beat the hosts on this evidence, so will have to rely on the Mexicans slipping up against the Croatians.

And if it's as wet as it was today, a slip up is very very possible.

ITV on the defensive this World Cup?

Dixon. Cannavaro. Vieira.
The ITV pundits had a strong defensive look to them for tonight's opener.
Little in the way of attacking flair there, unlike the Beeb who are likely to feature attacking stalwarts Lineker and Shearer.

Brazil 3-1 Croatia

The curtain hath been raised and the nets have been ruffled.
A goal fest in the opener, a rarity indeed in World Cup folklore, and the hosts are off to a strong start, despite an early scare from the unwitting foot of Marcelo.
But it happened early enough for les yellows to recover.
Neymar is a World Cup goalscoring virgin nay more. A double, the second a disputed penalty has seen to that. And proceedings were wrapped up by an Oscar winner.
That's Brazil's biggest group challenge successfully negotiated.
The Croats will have to go for it in their next two.

We are underway.

So who will win The 2014 World Cup Final?

It will be contested, I believe between two South American powerhouses, the hosts BRAZIL and their rivals and neighbours ARGENTINA.

This is Messi's time. Messi's tournament. And I believe he will lead his nation to a third World Cup triumph.

ARGENTINA TO WIN THE WORLD CUP.

That's it in writing for all to see and probably mock!

Who Will Reach The Semi-Finals of World Cup 2014?

My word, we are so close to the tournament kicking off, I can almost smell the leather in the centre circle. No, wait. That's my leather sofa I'm reclining on, as I await kick off with the keenness of a World Cup player with a squad number over 17 partaking in a training session in front of his manager.

While-I-Wait, I've nailed my semi-final line-up and it looks like this:

BRAZIL  v  GERMANY

SPAIN v  ARGENTINA

A veritable double-header of Europe vs South America, all with previous World Cup lifting experience.
But who will prevail and make it to the final? Let me think on that awhile. In the meantime, get your semi-final predictions in...

Pick your greatest ever World Cup XI

Courtesy of the BBC.
Click here to select your team.

Who Will Reach The Quarter Finals Of The 2014 World Cup?

Such an imprecise art, this football result predicting lark.
Especially trying to assess who'll make the quarter finals before the tournament has even started.
A red card can change a game. An injury to a key player can scupper a nation's chances. A referee bent on making headlines can change fate.
But it's fun, so it must be done.
Here are the nations I think will reach the Quarter Finals of this World Cup, and who they'll find themselves up against:

BRAZIL v  URUGUAY

FRANCE  v  GERMANY

SPAIN  v  IVORY COAST

ARGENTINA  v  BELGIUM

The winner's in there somewhere...