What did you miss last night? And what’s on the schedule for today? Our daily roundup—featuring Japan snatching a last-minute opening-match victory from the Netherlands and Ivory Coast celebrating a wild card. Sweden kicked things off with a goal-fest.
Oranje Misses Opening Win
In the top match of Group F, the Dutch team missed out on the opening win they had hoped for. In the match against Japan, very little happened before halftime, but the game really picked up steam in the second half: Liverpool’s Gravenberch set up two goals by van Dijk and Summerville, but Japan came back both times—first with a powerful low shot by Nakamura, and then, just before the end, with a header decisively deflected by former Frankfurt player Kamada.
Substitute Amad gives the Elephants cause for celebration
Late at night, the two German group opponents, Ivory Coast and Ecuador, faced off in Philadelphia. Both teams played with enthusiasm and commitment, but also had tremendous bad luck in an entertaining match. Ecuador hit the woodwork three times, while the Ivorians did so once. Just when it looked like the game was headed for a draw, Manchester United substitute Amad struck, securing a 1-0 opening victory for the Elephants with a left-footed shot into the far corner in the 90th minute. After 19 games without a loss, the South Americans suffered their first defeat.
Meanwhile, Sweden celebrated a perfect start thanks to its star strikers Viktor Gyökeres and Alexander Isak, beating a Tunisia side that was at times completely overwhelmed—and which featured Berlin-based Rani Khedira in the starting lineup—5-1. Isak shone with a goal and two assists, Gyökeres contributed a goal and an assist, while Yasin Ayari scored twice.
Here’s what’s happening on World Cup day—and what’s going on with the DFB team
After their 7-1 opening win against Curacao, the German team flew back from Houston to their base camp in Winston-Salem. Recovery training is scheduled there on Monday. On Tuesday, the team gets a day off—not as a reward for the big opening win, but rather because the break had been planned for some time.
On Monday, Spain, one of the top favorites, enters the tournament. The Spaniards kick off the competition at 6 p.m. against World Cup debutants Cape Verde, but will have to do so without their feared wing duo from the European Championship, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams. Later in the evening, Belgium faces Egypt, and overnight matches include Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay and Iran vs. New Zealand.