[Sohel]

A lot of credit must be given to Cameroon for pulling themselves out of the abyss and competing hard with everything they've got. I thought they played well but sadly for them, playing well isn't enough against this Brazil in full flow. Luiz and Thiago Silva are the best central defenders in the business and they showed why. The accurate timing and weight of Luiz's crosses was something to behold. Made me think of none other than one Franz Beckenbauer. Thiago Silva's commanding poise reminded me of Scirea, impenetrable! Even Alves had a great game defensively. The clean and deft way these Brazilians were winning balls was a sight to behold, especially against players also strong on the ball and technically proficient. Gustavo has been a revelation. Oscar was contained well in the game but to the young Brazilian's credit, he never gave up and kept at it. We'll be talking about him as one of the top 5 players of the game in 2 years max. Hulk received some great balls but couldn't do right by them. Not quite. Fred scored a goal but should've done better. I thought Brazil did great against a fine young side whose young players brought their A-game.

Mexico won as expected. I don't subscribe to a Eurocentric view of soccer and know how good and fierce the cream of the CONCACAF is. USA, Mexico and Costa Rica are on the verge of becoming top 16 teams for at least 8 more years to come and that's exactly what we're witnessing. I won't be surprised at all if the Azteca upset the Dutch.