Over the next month, I'll be covering the World Cup for Tribalfootball, and along the way, I'd like to share with you some of my experiences and keep you up to date with all the action!

In the moment

Living in Australia, witnessing great football moments live can be difficult. You will have to fight the nagging alarm clock or risk pushing through the night on a diet of caffeine. Either way, it isn't quite the same as watching fully conscious at primetime. I've watched two incredible moments in the four months I've been away from home. Gareth Bale's overhead kick in the Champions League final, which the crowd inside the Manchester pub I was in celebrated wildly. And Ronaldo's free-kick equaliser last night. No matter what opinion you have about the Real Madrid star, nobody can question his mental toughness. Most footballers could score that free-kick on the training ground. But in that moment, when everything was on the line, Ronaldo had nothing else in his mind than putting the ball in the back of the net. What a game and a nice distraction from the day's first two matches…

The biggest country in the world

Speaking to almost every fan since arriving, logistics has been their main problem. This is what happens in the world's biggest country. And last night it was my turn. With no matches in the capital yesterday, I was able to catch the overnight train to Kazan for the Australia vs. France match. To give you an understanding of the country's vastness, it took twelve hours on the train to arrive here on the banks of the Volga River. To get to the middle of Russia, it would take you another two days on a train. But it was worth every minute to be here today.

Press box bias

It will be hard to contain my excitement in the press box today. I was there in Sydney when we qualified in 2005 and watching at home when Tim Cahill scored that magnificent brace against Japan in 2006. Although it'll be tough for us to get a result against an insanely talented French outfit, I feel Bert van Marwijk will have his team organised and ready to absorb as much pressure as they can take. In the other games, Argentina take on Iceland in Group D. I managed to get chatting with some Icelandic fans yesterday, who were happy to pose for photos and were excited about being at the World Cup for the first time. Peru and Denmark will play in Saransk in the other Group C fixture and Croatia and Nigeria cap the night off in Kaliningrad. Some day of football ahead!

Tune in tomorrow for Day 3!