It’s fair to observe that any World Cup can never really start until Brazil have played. The magic of this most famous of tournaments never truly hits its peak until the Selecao’s stardust is sprinkled upon it.
At this one, here in Qatar, the real tournament kicked off five days in with the five-time winners - and opponents Serbia - the 31st and 32nd teams to get their campaigns off and running. They had top billing. After the undercard, the main event.
