World Cup 2014, Day 2: Mexico and Cameroon kick off the day

It was supposed to be one of the best matches of the 2014 World Cup group stage, but the Netherlands had other ideas as they picked apart Spain’s defense and hammered the defending champions, 5-1. Robin van Persie scored twice, and Arjen Robben added two goals of his own as the Oranje absolutely crushed Spain.

Diego Costa, who was showered with boos from Brazilian fans in the crowd every time he touched the ball, nearly created a chance in the 13th minute after a turnover by Jonathan de Guzmán in the Dutch defensive third. Ron Vlaar made an excellent recovery, though, preventing Costa from getting a shot off, and saving de Guzmán’s figurative bacon.

Cameroon lineup 4-3-3, with no surprises anywhere but their back four. Benoît Assou-Ekotto is given the nod over Henri Bedimo at left-back, while Nicolas N’Koulou and Aurélien Chedjou are both preferred over Joël Matip at center back.

Certainly they are expected to pick up the victory, with the Socceroos arriving at the tournament with expectations as low as ever. New coach Ange Postecoglou arrived with the task of bringing a new generation onto the international stage, and that means they’re not expected to be pulling up trees this time around. However, their youth does make them something of an unknown quantity, and La Roja have already been stung by Australia at a World Cup before.

There are still question marks over the fitness of Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal, who had knee surgery at the end of the domestic season. La Roja will certainly hope to have him available, as along with attacker Alexis Sánchez, he’s a genuinely world-class talent.

Schedule

Mexico vs. Cameroon - Noon ET, ESPN2

Spain vs. Netherlands - 3 p.m. ET, ESPN

Chile vs. Australia - 6 p.m. ET, ESPN2

The Aussies have a forward dynamo with a great scoring record up top and a rock in midfield -- Mile Jedinak -- who could play for almost any team in the tournament. But can their defense hold up against the swarming and unorthodox attack of Chile?

Vidal is the big worry for Chile. He played 15 minutes in their final warm-up friendly and re-aggravated a knee injury, so he’s expected to miss out. The big question about Chile is their formation following Matias Fernandez’s exclusion from the squad due to an ankle injury. Will someone take his place directly, or will Sampaoli play a team without a true advanced playmaker? He’ll probably have different lineups for different games, and expect this one to be his most attacking.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has no reason to deviate from the fluid 4-3-3 formation that has won Spain three consecutive major tournaments, though for this World Cup, the personnel will be slightly tweaked. Chelsea’s César Azpilicueta is doing battle with Juanfran for the starting spot at right-back, while David Silva is likely to pip Cesc Fàbregas to a place in the attacking trident. Diego Costa should be fit to lead the line.

It’s anyone’s guess as to how van Gaal will set his Netherlands team up for the opening fixture, with the veteran coach having switched from his classic 4-3-3 to a 3-4-1-2 and then a 4-4-2 in preparation matches. At this stage the best guess seems to be the defensive trio with Robben and van Persie spearheading the attack -- a move apparently inspired by the absence of the injured Strootman.

These types of matches do occasionally turn into borefests in which both teams are more afraid of losing than of not winning, but with Miguel Herrera at the helm of El Tri, this is unlikely to be the case. Herrera’s Club America never went into a negative mode, and his Mexico side haven’t done that at any point during his admittedly short tenure.

Attacking is in their blood and he doesn’t have the defensive midfielders in his stable to sit back and hold on for a shutout. Mexico have to attack to get good results, and if they score, Cameroon will have to attack them back.