2014 FIFA World Cup round-up Day two – Netherlands thrash Spain, Mexico and Chile win

Day 2 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup featured three matches, including a repeat of the 2010 final.

Mexico beat Cameroon in the first match. Spain took the lead in the middle game—before Netherlands roared back to shock them with a blowout win.

In Friday’s finale, Chile fought off Australia, completing the first round of games in Groups A and B.

Goal: Click here to watch the Goal

Oribe Peralta scored a second-half winner as Mexico overcome rainy conditions and a pair of controversial refereeing decisions to defeat Cameroon 1-0 in both teams’ FIFA World Cup opener on Friday at the Estadio das Dunas in Natal.

Mexico now find themselves level on three points with Brazil, with the two teams set to face off Tuesday in Fortaleza. Cameroon will play Croatia the following day in Manaus, with the loser most likely doomed to finish last in the group.

Dos Santos had two goals ruled out for offside, with both decisions proving contentious.

The first came in the 11th minute as Dos Santos volleyed in from Hector Herrera’s cross following a bright opening by Mexico. Although replays suggested Dos Santos was onside, the goal was disallowed and the match remained scoreless.

Cameroon had a goal of their own ruled out in the 16th minute, but this time the decision was more clear-cut, with Samuel Eto’o in a clearly offside position. Eto’o came close again five minutes later, bouncing a first-time shot just wide following excellent work down the left by full-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto.

Mexico and Dos Santos had a second goal ruled out in another tight decision. Dos Santos was the would-be scorer again, heading in from a corner before being flagged offside following a deflection off the head of a Cameroon defender.

Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben each scored twice as the Netherlands came from a goal behind to record a stunning 5-1 victory over world champions Spain on Friday at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador in both teams’ FIFA World Cup opener.

Xabi Alonso put Spain ahead with a 27th-minute penalty, but the Netherlands equalised via a van Persie header just before half-time. Click here for Video.

The world champions nearly had a second goal in the 43rd minute after Andres Iniesta unlocked the Dutch defence with a precise through ball into the box. David Silva ran onto the pass and attempted to clip a finish over Jasper Cillessen, but the goalkeeper tipped the ball wide of the post.

Netherlands pulled level thanks to a moment of magic from van Persie. Holding the ball near the midfield stripe, Daley Blind played a long, high ball to the edge of the box, where van Persie slipped away from his marker and floated a perfectly placed header over Casillas for the equaliser.

Instead of mounting a comeback, though, Spain went further behind in the 72nd minute after another moment Casillas would rather forget. There seemed to be little danger when the Spanish goalkeeper accepted a back-pass inside his own box, but a poor touch allowed van Persie to intercept and slot into the unguarded net.

Trailing 4-1, Spain’s humiliation was all but complete. The Dutch, however, weren’t quite finished.

Moments after accepting the captain’s armband from the substituted van Persie, Robben made it five. Speeding past Ramos into Spain’s half, the Bayern Munich man beat Casillas with a cut-back into the middle before firing home to complete a scintillating—and potentially momentous—victory.

When the Socceroos were drawn to play Chile in the refitted Arena Pantanal’s first match of this World Cup many were expecting Australia to be on the end of a hiding.

Chile were good to their promise of unflagging, almost irrational, attack, the outstanding front two of Eduardo Vargas and Alexis Sánchez racing forward at every opportunity with something like a primal lust for goal.

The Socceroos had looked reasonably comfortable until the opening goal, and nothing was happening much after 10 minutes when the ball came towards Mat Ryan in goal. But the young keeper flapped forward, then back, allowing Charles Aránguiz to squeeze through on the byline and float a ball back across goal, where Vargas clashed with a tangle of Australian players, sending the ball straight to the feet of Sánchez.

Goal 1: Click here to watch first goal

The Barcelona player planted his finish past Ryan with the cool authority of someone applying mere punctuation to a statement everyone had already agreed on: Chile were simply too good. Sánchez’s goal was a thing of almost Cahill-esque positioning and timing.

Goal 2: Click here to watch second goal

For a moment it looked like the Socceroos would never get the ball, but when they did, it was a bit of direct running down the right from Matthew Leckie that set them back on their path. Chile’s early aggression waned and the Socceroos worked themselves back into the match.

The goal, when it came, was of a familiarity to warm even the most football-phobic Australian heart, Ivan Franjic hustling down the right, before the ball pinned off Leckie and fell to the defender’s feet again. A cross, a Cahill leap, a goal.

Australia goal: Click here to watch Australia goal

However, the equaliser just would not come – and when the substitute Jean Beausejour scored the Chileans’ third in the dying minutes, the fate of the Socceroos at this World Cup was all but confirmed.

Last goal: Click here to watch last goal