Five lessons learnt from the 2013 Confederations Cup

Neymar lifts the trophy with his team-mates following their victory at the end of the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 Final against Spain at Maracana on June 30, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Getty Images)

The Confederations Cup 2013 proved to be a competitive event that did more than be a dress-rehearsal to the World Cup. It satiated a bit of the thirst of football deprived fans and dished some memorable clashes at the business end of the tournament.

Brazil’s success elevated the tournament’s popularity to a great extent and many neutrals would have enjoyed watching Spain crumble after six years of absolute domination.

The success of the competition has heightened the expectation around 2014 World Cup, when 32 of the world’s greatest teams from all corners of the world will assemble to stake a claim for the most desirable prize in the arena of sport.

Till then we can ponder upon some lessons that we learnt from the Confederations Cup and will come in handy when we return next year: