World Cup begins in unspectacular fashion after first round of matches but vuvuzelas are the main talk in South Africa

What's all the fuss about? This World Cup has been brilliant

All the teams participating in the 2010 World Cup have now played at least once, and was relatively surprised at the limited number of goals in South Africa. Spain's defeat to Switzerland was the main shock so far, while North Korea brought their 'A' game of sheer work-rate against Brazil's most technically-gifted stars in the world. As for England, problems in defence, and more notably, in goalkeeping, surfaced. France were shot-shy, and the host nation annoyed the world of the incessant drone of the vuvuzela - a horn instrument that characterises a big part of South African culture.

The Jabulani ball also sparked controversy, with goalkeepers such as Ilker Casillas, Gianluigi Buffon and David James complaining about how the ball travels in flight. The ball has also meant players were ballooning their shots over the crossbar, which also suggests the difficulty of keeping the Jabulani in control.

England's game against USA last weekend was the nation's talking point. Jabulani or no Jabulani, goalkeeper Robert Green should have saved that. ITV pundits, probably not always the most inciteful analysts, were also surprised why Green did position his whole body behind to scoop the ball into his grasp. It was a keeper's regulation save. It should've been made, but unfortunately not on Saturday. In the end, it cost England the win. The 4-4-2 formation also made England very predictable and showed little cohesion and calmness in possession. It has been a constant problem for the country, but manager Fabio Capello hopes to stem the problem by bringing Gareth Barry back to his starting line-up against Algeria.

The press and television pundits have been urging England to adopt a more controlling 4-4-1-1 formation, with Steven Gerrard playing off the front man Wayne Rooney. In does look to be a good formation: Gerrard can pick up space in between the opposition's defence and midfield and could cause a great threat from that position, an area he is so comfortable to playing at club level. But back in 2002, the nation was campaigning for Michael Ricketts to get a call-up into the England side. He did, against Holland, and it didn't turn out to be a wise move due to his extremely disappointing and nonchalant performance.

I was surprised about how Spain lined up against Switzerland. The fundamental part of Spain's Euro 2008 success was the partnership of Fernando Torres and David Villa. Although Torres remains relatively unfit, it would have been no harm for him to play for at least an hour. And manager Vicente Del Bosque chose not to start Cesc Fabregas. Although Spain's passing was highly praised, there was hardly any penetration through the Swiss defence. It's all good and well passing the ball to centre-backs Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol at the halfway line, but if there is a lack of willingness to run with the ball towards the box, the Swiss would find it much easier to defend against, which they did.

Brazil also stuttered in their match against North Korea. Like Spain, Brazil passed the ball with ease and remain comfortable in possession. However, there was a lack of spark and ingenuity about their play. It took until the 55th minute to break the deadlock, and even Maicon outrageous finish was seen as a bit of a fluke. North Korea's defence were surprisingly very difficult to break down. They defended in numbers, similarly to Switzerland, although they had no renown players at their disposal. It was a performance of work ethic and unity. And they will be challenging opponents for Portugal and Ivory Coast.

Despite the World Cup being shrouded in dullness from a football point of view, the vuvuzelas have grasped the main headlines. Cristiano Ronaldo has complained of the excessive noise as the main hindrance in Portugal's ability to concentrate for 90 minutes, while Patrice Evra said the South African horns were to blame for France's drab 0-0 draw versus Uruguay. It must be said, it is off-putting for spectators as well as television audiences worldwide. The incessant drone is possibly an indication that South Africans are not really interested in the football, but delirious about having the world's best players in their own backyard. There's always a good and bad side to it.

Lets see what the second round of matches will bring.