Round 1 of the Group Stage of the 2014 World Cup finished on Tuesday, June 17.
In the 16 games played in the round, 49 goals were scored – 20 first half goals and 29 second half goals.
Included in this total were 6 penalties and 3 own goals.
One of the goals scored (France v Honduras) was confirmed through the use of goal line technology.
It was first goal in World Cup history to be confirmed in this way.
The games were officiated by 16 different referees from FIFA’s six organisational zones. They awarded 425 free kicks, 40 yellow cards and 3 red cards.
Prior to the World Cup there was a great deal of interest in predicting the outcome of the tournament. One of the indicators thought most likely to predict the outcome were the Elo Ratings of teams.
The first round delivered some surprises in relation to these ratings. Spain and Uruguay both scored first against lower Elo Ratings teams and lost. These defeats placed both teams in danger of elimination from the tournament.
Current World Cup holder Spain’s demise has a significant impact on the tournament. Spain was ranked second in the Elo ratings going into the World Cup, ranked first in the FIFA World Ranking and they appear in almost everyone’s prediction for the semi finals.