There have been a few sparks of brilliance and great display of skills It's early days yet for the 2010 World Cup. But now that it's been a week since the kick-off and each team has played at least one game, a few initial trends are apparent, says the Times of India. The average number of goals per match is only 1.56, which is lower than earlier editions. One explanation for the fewer goals could be the narrowing of the gap in the quality of teams. Hence, a lowly North Korea lost to mighty Brazil by a scoreline of 1-2. There is also the safety-first approach with no team wanting to lose their first match, which has led to dour contests. The African teams, from whom much was expected, have by and large disappointed. There have, however, been a few sparks of brilliance such as the magical goal by Brazil's Maicon and a great display of skills by Argentine star Lionel Messi. And we saw a real upset when Switzerland beat Spain 1-0. Off the field, the South African organizers have belied expectations by putting up excellent stadiums. But there have been glitches too. Security stewards in several venues struck work earlier this week over low wages, forcing the South African police to deploy extra personnel. Worryingly, there were empty seats in the stadium even during the crucial South Africa-Uruguay game which the hosts lost. For the South Africans it was a great start when they drew their first game with Mexico. But now they face the prospect of an early exit. That could definitely dampen the World Cup fervor – and the sound of the vuvuzelas
