The World Cup - Shocks all over

Group C: Argentina 1 – 2 Saudi Arabia

Widely regarded as one of the favourites to take home the trophy with an unbeaten run spanning 36 games and Lionel Messi playing what will likely be his last World Cup, it was unthinkable that Argentina would lose this game. This result was the greatest day in Saudi Arabian football history, the team who are ranked 51st in the world. It also means that Messi and his teammates will have to step up their game with a tough group match against Mexico on Saturday. Messi became just the fifth player to score at four world cup tournaments alongside his rival Cristiano Ronaldo. In a tournament where the two greats of their generation are battling it out to have the title of the greatest of all time, this will be a setback for the Argentine. But all will be forgotten if they make it out of the group and go on to win the tournament.

Group E: Germany 1 – 2 Japan

The demise of the German national team was for all to see in their Group E opener. The Japanese side are a technically sound outfit with the majority of their starting lineup playing in Europe’s top leagues with a few familiar faces on the pitch, for example, Celtic’s Daizen Maeda. But this game for many only saw one winner, The Germans have won the biggest prize in world football four times. They are never to be written off, however, in recent years the team has gone through a rebuilding stage and is promoting more youth talent into the side. This has come along with many poor performances in Euro 2021 and in the nations league. It seemed that this rough patch could be over for the start of the World Cup, but recently the Germans always seem to disappoint. With a tough group and a big match ahead against an in-form Spain side, it will take a lot for Germany to make it to the knockout stage.

Group F: Belgium 1 – 0 Canada

The Red Devils have won their opening game, but the world number 2 nation will be bitterly disappointed with their performance against an energetic Canadian side, who should have had their first-ever World Cup win if they had taken their chances. Bayern Munich superstar Alphonso Davies had a penalty saved in the early stages by Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, which would set the tone for the match. Canada had an expected goals tally of 2.61 compared to the Belgian’s 0.76 with the underdogs having a whopping 22 shots in the match. Before this tournament, not many would have even mentioned Canada, many probably didn’t even know they were in the World Cup. After their first game on the big stage since 1986, supporters will take note and it will be exciting to see if they make it out of their group which includes European heavyweights in Belgium and Croatia.