World Cup 2018: 5 things we learned from the first round of matches

#4 The top teams are not going to have it easy

The big teams are really struggling

Nobody could have foreseen the way in which the first round of games went. Pundits and fans were expecting the big teams (with the exception of Portugal and Spain which played against each other) to use the first round of matches to set the tone for their campaigns.

It turned out to be different as these big boys struggled mightily. Of the previous World Cup winners: only England, France, and Uruguay got wins and all of them were scrappy affairs which were won by very late goals or in the case of France, an own goal.

Brazil and Argentina also struggled mightily against Switzerland and Iceland respectively as the European teams' resilience, organization, and defensive solidity coupled with the effective man-marking of the star number 10s (Neymar and Messi) stopped the South Americans dead in their tracks.

Defending champions Germany were the biggest casualties as a disjointed and slow-witted team were outpaced, outfoxed and outplayed by an effervescent ElTri side and will need to show marked improvement if they are to have any hope of retaining their title.