A LOOK at what has already been called the best World Cup ever from our sister newspaper in the United States, USA Today...

Can we call a World Cup a classic even when it's only 10 days old? There have been so many surprises, no one knows what to expect until the final whistle is blown.

Italy will either win it all or fail to make it to the second round. It's that kind of tournament.

And it's why this Cup has become one of the most compelling the sport has known. Who could have predicted this?

Four teams favored to win it all already have lost a game: France, Italy, Portugal and Argentina.

The leading candidate for the Golden Boot award is Germany's Miroslav Klose, who has scored his four goals with his head. Makes sense in this topsy-turvy tournament.

Mayhem may be what you get when two countries with two languages, two currencies and two versions of their turbulent history serve as co-hosts.

So before the World Cup heads into the deciding week of the first round, here's a look back at what you might've missed:

Biggest upsets: In the opening match, Senegal, making its World Cup debut, shocked defending champion France 1-0.

Then South Korea ended 58 years of World Cup futility when it defeated Poland 2-0.

Not to be outdone, the USA opened up a 3-0 lead on powerhouse Portugal and held on for a 3-2 win, America's greatest victory since defeating England 1-0 at the 1950 World Cup.

Croatia, teetering on the brink of elimination, scored two goals in three minutes on Saturday to defeat favored Italy 2-1.

Goal difference: Though the games have been fast-paced and more free-flowing than in the past, the goals per game average for this World Cup lags behind France '98 and USA '94.

Through the first 26 games (May 31-June 8), 67 goals have been scored for an average of 2.58 goals a game.

Contributing to the surprising numbers is France, which was held scoreless in its first two games.

Best goal: There are plenty of worthy candidates, but the winner is Salif Diao's goal against Denmark.

The play started when Senegal won the ball on the edge of its box. Four first-time passes later, Diao finished with the outside of his foot.

Why is this the best? Because Pele said so. "It was such a wonderful goal; it had everything," said the world's greatest player.

Best goal celebration: Nigeria will head home after the opening round because of two losses, but at least there's this memory: After Julius Aghahowa scored a soaring header against Sweden, he did seven backward somersaults.

Believe the hype: England vs. Argentina was the most anticipated game of the first round, and it delivered.

In England's 1-0 victory, David Beckham scored the winning goal with a penalty kick and earned redemption for the red card that forced him off the field in their last World Cup meeting four years ago.

The only hooligans who turned up were in the British press corps, who shoved and shouted their way through the interviews.

Best groups to watch: In Group F, the so-called Group of Death, the most difficult first-round group, England and Sweden share a two-way tie at the top. Argentina trails by a point.

Then there's the wacky group of Group A. The standings: Denmark, Senegal, Uruguay, France. Who could have predicted that?

Biggest flop: Without Zinedine Zidane, France's performance has been useless.

Who could have predicted that the defending champs would have no wins and no goals after two games?

Tuesday, Les Bleus meet Denmark in their last-ditch bid to stay in the competition.

If they fail, they would become the first defending champions to go out at the first stage since Brazil in 1966.

Biggest non-flop: Spain has been haunted by its history of high hopes and failure.

Friday, Spain became the first team to qualify for the second round.

Biggest Turkeys: Against Turkey, Brazil's Rivaldo was fined and scolded for his poor acting after a Turkish defender kicked the ball at him in frustration.

The ball hit Rivaldo's leg, but the Brazilian covered his face and fell dramatically to the ground as if he had been shot.

The head of Turkey's football federation, Haluk Ulusoy, acted just as foolishly.

The Turks were livid about the calls of referee Kim Young-Joo, who is South Korean, but Ulusoy took it one step too far. Ulusoy noted that some 700 Turkish troops died fighting for South Korea in the Korean War.

He said, "We gave a thousand martyrs for Korea 50 years ago. Now a single Korean killed 70 million Turks." Please.

Best high-tech stadium: In Sapporo, Japan, the field levitates. The domed stadium can switch from an artificial surface baseball field to a natural-grass soccer field.

The soccer field sits on a tray outside the stadium basking in the sun. When it's time to switch, the grass tray rises 4 inches on compressed air and rolls inside the stadium as the seats fold up.