After four days, 11 games and one memorable hat trick, the World Cup already has produced many highs and lows. Let's review.
Winner: Mexico fans
They came out in full force Sunday (Fox broadcasters estimated 80 percent of the crowd) to watch Mexico stun Germany 1-0 in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.
Loser: Chicagoans
The world's biggest sports tournament will return to the U.S. in 2026, and 16 cities will host games, but not us. Mayor Rahm Emanuel's spokesman said pursuing games here "wasn't in Chicago's best interest" _ even though the games here in 1994 were a huge hit. Not sure who the mayor will be in eight years, but good guess he or she will regret that decision.
Loser: Nigerian chickens
Would-be members of the fryers club were to get a reprieve from kitchen duty as Nigerian fans like to bring live chickens to their national team's games for good luck. Russian authorities, however, said the birds could not enter World Cup stadiums. Not only was Nigeria denied its good fortune, losing 2-0 to Croatia in its Group D opener, but so presumably was the poultry. A win for some Volgograd Wild Wings, perhaps.
Winner: Dentistry
The unglamorous profession gains star power as Iceland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, a dentist, leads his team to a stunning 1-1 draw with Argentina. His team's secret to success: Could it be flossing?
Loser: German newspaper Die Welt
It's never good when your newspaper's front page is tacky, let alone entirely insensitive. The German daily featured goalkeeper Manuel Neuer standing in front of a brick wall with the headline "Sorry, Mexico. Today we're building the wall!" Sure, it's meant to be a joke, but of all the nations that should know the real dangers that walls and demagoguery can beget, it's Germany.
Winner: Cristiano Ronaldo
He scored the 51st hat trick in World Cup history, became the oldest player to record a hat trick in the tournament and tied Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas for the most international goals scored by a European man with 84 _ and on the day he plea-bargained a tax fraud case. Not bad.
Winner: Iceland
"Iceland beats Argentina, 1-1!" Fox's John Strong said, echoing the Harvard Crimson's famous headline for the 1968 draw with rival Yale and getting it exactly right.
Loser: Previous champions
Of the nine nations to have won World Cup titles since its inception in 1930, only three have won first-round matches. France ('98 champ), Uruguay ('30, '50) and England ('66) won their openers. Germany ('14 and '54, '74, '90 as West Germany) lost and Italy ('34, '38, '82, '06) failed to qualify. Brazil ('58, '62, '70, '94, '02), Argentina ('78, '86) and Spain ('10) played to draws.
Loser: David de Gea
Spanish goalkeeper made a seriously boneheaded play that, as it turns out, cost his team full points. My, my.
Winner: Red Square
Studio host Rob Stone and other Fox announcers are making it sound like Party Central, which it always is, but not exactly that way.
Winner and loser: Video Assistant Referee
The long-awaited and much-debated V.A.R. review system made its debut in this year's tournament. The first uses were efficient but, of course, controversial.
Winner: Vladimir Putin
As a gift to the host Russian president, his nation's team crushed Saudi Arabia 5-0, and Putin was all smiles in the VIP box next to the FIFA president and the Saudi crown prince. Russia next goes to St. Petersburg, where it will play Egypt on Tuesday.
Winner: Spain
After its coach was fired two days before the start of the tournament, the team turned on the vintage Spain style to storm back from a deficit.
Winner: Nigerian jersey
The zigzaggy green, white and black shirt is rightly the hottest-selling sports jersey in the world.
Loser: Gerard Pique
Shakira's boyfriend, the Spanish center back, gave up the late, goofball foul that allowed the free kick that allowed Ronaldo to strut, preen and do his winner thing. Again.
Winner: Iranian political activism
Iranian fans at the national team's opener versus Morocco in St. Petersburg displayed a banner that read "Support Iranian Women to Attend Stadiums" and "#NoBan4Women." Women in Iran have been prohibited from attending soccer matches and other men's sporting events since 1979's Islamic revolution.
Loser: Aziz Bouhaddouz
The Moroccan defender headed in the own goal that gave Iran a first-match win. Brutal.
Winner: Soccer
Drama and brilliance. What more do you want?
