At last the World Cup has started and as I got off the bus in Sydney on Friday morning I was expecting the city to be abuzz with football fever.
The first person I saw in sporting apparel was wearing a red and white scarf. A Russian fan?
Then I saw another and on closer inspection realised they were Sydney Swans fans. The Swans were due to play at the Sydney Cricket Ground that night and there were quite a few people around who would head out there after work.
But there was not much football gear anywhere; the first green and gold scarf I saw was a Wallabies one.
There was no bunting on shops and not even a black and white hexagonal-panelled soccer ball to be seen.
The water cooler conversations featured Swans, Roosters, Buddy Franklin and Cooper Cronk but no Ronaldo, Arzani or Messi.
It was nothing like 2006 when The Daily Telegraph gave away little green and gold flags that we clipped on to our car windows.
Have we got so used to qualifying that we no longer get excited? It seems that the average Sydneysider is indifferent to events in Russia.
If people were relying on Optus streaming to snap them out of a World Cup torpor then they were sadly disappointed.
Australian fans had plenty to celebrate in Stuttgart back in 2006. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
I had sorted out my Optus Sport app, and after a bit of fiddling to get the sound to work, finally sat up to watch Uruguay versus Egypt. My daughter came over and we looked forward to some nice family time and reminiscing over world cups past.
The pictures came through sharp and clear but the players soon turned into blobs before freezing then disappearing altogether.
Like me, I wonder how many people blamed family members, neighbourhood gamers, or other streamers for hogging the internet.
Or, after realising that it wasn’t just restricted to yourself, how many cursed Optus, the NBN, SBS, FIFA, Malcolm Turnbull, the family pet or anything to take out their frustrations.
After giving up at half-time I tuned in for the last 20 minutes, which went off without a hitch. I put this down to so many people switching off by then.
The next night I went to a Western Sydney club for the Argentina versus Iceland game. Even then, most screens had a replay of an NRL match.
Eventually I found a multi-lingual group of friendly football fans in the corner, watching some excellent Optus Sport pictures. It went a little way to restoring my faith in Sydney’s sporting public.
But why do I need to go to the club when I have paid for a service? And I can’t always go to the club at 2am during the week.
Russia’s midfielder Aleksandr Golovin (PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images)
The football itself was brilliant, Russia’s 5-0 thumping of Saudi Arabia setting a wonderful tone for the tournament. Russia might surprise a few, just like South Korea did when they reached the semi-finals of the World Cup they co-hosted in 2002.
Then there was the epic match between Portugal and Spain. By scoring early, Spain had to force the match, and although adjusting to their new coach, really turned on the style.
It was against the run of play when Cristiano Ronaldo put Portugal ahead with some help from Spanish keeper David De Gea.
The second half saw Spain in the ascendancy but few will forget that free kick by Ronaldo in the final minutes to level the scores at 3-3. Me and my daughter jumped an down with delight.
Iceland put in an inspired performance against Argentina and might have a few people changing their opinion on how far they will go.
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I can’t finish without mentioning Australia’s performance against France. I thought they played their hearts out and as the match went on their confidence seemed to grow.
Aaron Mooy, Mile Jedinak, Matt Leckie and Mat Ryan all dug deep but the whole team was great. The FFA appear to have vindicated their choice of Bert van Marwijk as coach.
I still think Australia can qualify for the round of sixteen. I just hope we see a bit more green and gold on the streets of Sydney if they do.
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