Thank you, Spain and Portugal. The World Cup feels like it has finally kicked off. Cristiano Ronaldo led with his gleaming torso, Diego Costa led with his elbows and Spain and Portugal both proved that they couldn’t defend. Their classic 3-3 draw this morning was a glorious way to kick off tonight’s four fixtures
The Iberian rivals opted for a novel approach to defending – they ignored it. It’s interesting to note that the elite nations followed their clubs in the Champions League and focused on counter-attacking.
Both Spain and Portugal have aging defences, so the Portuguese supplied their beauty and the Spanish fed their beast. Costa scored twice, largely by confusing Portuguese defenders for bowling pins. Ronaldo hit a sublime hat-trick, largely by confusing his 33-year-old body for that of a teenager. Spain goalkeeper David de Gea, on the other hand, picked the wrong night to dip his gloves in a tub of margarine.
The match was as bonkers as it was brilliant. The World Cup is looking a lot like the Champions League, with elite sides favouring madcap counter-attacking over disciplined defending. Long may it continue.
Neil Humphreys
Singapore’s best selling author and Football columnist
