World Cup diary – Spain humiliated

You see – that’s the trouble. You write off the World Cup for moral reasons because of FIFA sleaze (and that opening game). And then Spain are magnificently humiliated, cheering me up more than I could have thought possible. Undoubtedly talented, Spain have nonetheless been boring us rigid for too long, with that self-regarding, tippy tappy, stifling of what the game should really be about. The Netherlands taught them that, with great glee. I haven’t been so pleased about a world cup result for ages – well, not since the French fell to bits against Mexico and South Africa.

You sort of hope this is the end of an era, or the beginning of the end of an era. We must now get behind Chile and hope they can take at least a point form the Spanish. A draw would surely see Spain sent home.