I feel like this World Cup isn't as exciting or as intense as it used to be. You'd expect it to be more interesting with so many countries participating, but when I watch the matches, it feels like there's a lack of truly thrilling moments.
Some of the favorite teams, such as Brazil, Spain, and Portugal, seem to be playing as if they're not taking every match too seriously. Maybe it's just my impression, or perhaps it makes sense because those teams know they have a long journey ahead and are choosing not to play at full intensity in every game.
What I can say is the rules of the game aren't longer challenging, which is the reason the game looks less exciting. Like they know draw still count, so they don't border in times of taking risk.
About the team performers, I expected more from big countries like Portugal and Spain for real, and I will say they are underperforming because they got some opportunities to display but didn't.
Another thing about this game is that those small countries are topping up unexpectedly. I am proud of their performance.
Still, I think the game is getting serious, maybe because those big teams are now seeing how the team they see less is topping the chat, and I think more serious games are coming.