The World Cup Take 2022, Issue 2: Opening Shots Fired

The first matchday of the 2022 World Cup in the books. Let's take a look at how each of the teams fared.

Qatar 0-2 Ecuador

This was a match in which the margin of victory did not adequately reflect how one-sided it was. Ecuador essentially sleepwalked their way to a 2-0 victory over the hosts; Enner Valencia scored both goals. It could easily have been four or five had Ecuador actually bothered to play at full tilt; this was unnecessary because of how utterly abject Qatar were.

England 6-2 Iran

The Three Lions highlighted their status as bona fide title contenders after taking Iran apart. With a 3-0 lead at halftime and 79% of the possession, England's victory was never in doubt. Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka were England's standout performers at the Khalifa International Stadium.

Senegal 0-2 Netherlands

Despite being without superstar striker Sadio Mané due to injury, Senegal were able to keep their favoured opponents goalless until the match's closing stages. Cody Gakpo broke the deadlock for the Netherlands in the 84th minute before Davy Klaassen put the match away in stoppage time.

United States 1-1 Wales

A cagey match saw the United States and Wales play out the tournament's first draw. In an encounter largely devoid of moments of true skill, Timothy Weah opened the scoring for the US not long before half-time; a late Gareth Bale penalty would eventually give Wales a share of the points.

Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia

In one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, Saudi Arabia stunned presumptive title contenders Argentina. After fending off a flurry of Argentine attacks in the first half, two second-half goals set up a victory which will forever have a place in World Cup lore.

Denmark 0-0 Tunisia

Although both teams spent a fairly large amount of time on the attack, the quality of chances created was rather low, leading to a goalless draw. One of the rare high-quality chances resulted in one of the most shocking misses ever seen in a World Cup. Denmark striker Andreas Cornelius' header from less than one yard from goal hit the post.

Mexico 0-0 Poland

This match was marked by struggles in the final third from both teams. Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa further burnished his reputation as a World Cup specialist by saving a Robert Lewandowski penalty. Despite being one of the greatest strikers of all time, Lewandowski is still goalless in the World Cup over his career.

France 4-1 Australia

France defied their sketchy pre-tournament form as well as the "reigning champions' curse" with an impressive victory over Australia. Olivier Giroud's two goals saw him tie Thierry Henry as Les Bleus' all-time leading goalscorer. Despite missing numerous key players due to injury, France evidently remain one of the favourites to win it all.

Morocco 0-0 Croatia

There wasn't a great deal of action in this one. The match was full of sub-par play in the final third, most notably from Croatia's Nikola Vlašić and Morocco's Abde Ezzalzouli. Both teams will really have to step it up if they're to make the last 16.

Germany 1-2 Japan

Despite being in control of the match almost all the way through, Germany somehow managed to lose this one. Serge Gnabry was the main culprit, missing multiple clear chances. Substitutes Ritsu Dōan and Takuma Asano made Die Mannschaft pay for their profligacy in front of goal.

Spain 7-0 Costa Rica

La Furia Roja were utterly dominant from start to finish against their Central American opponents. Costa Rica were not even allowed a single shot as Spain ran riot. Dani Olmo, Jordi Alba, and Gavi were Spain's standout performers in a match which proved that Spain are indeed legitimate title threats.

Belgium 1-0 Canada

A rather strange match at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium saw Belgium thoroughly outplayed by their less fancied opponents, yet somehow emerging with a 1-0 victory. Michy Batshuayi scored the only goal of the match shortly before half-time. By doing so, Batshuayi also made Canada rue Alphonso Davies' missed penalty earlier in the first half.

Switzerland 1-0 Cameroon

This fairly even match was decided early in the second half when Breel Embolo scored against the country of his birth. Despite a slow start, Switzerland gradually came into their own as the match wore on, culminating in Embolo's goal. Cameroon struggled with making the crucial pass which would set up an easy chance; this was particularly noticeable during the later stages of the match.

Uruguay 0-0 South Korea

Apart from two of Uruguay's shots striking the post, this was an extremely uneventful match. Uruguay clearly have some way to go if they are to be taken seriously as title contenders. On the other hand, South Korea's draw capped off an impressive first matchday for the Asian teams.

Portugal 3-2 Ghana

This match was highlighted by a controversial penalty call on (who else?) Cristiano Ronaldo. Upon replay, Mohammed Salisu appeared to have touched the ball before bringing Ronaldo to the turf. The incident seemed to spark the match to life as including the penalty goal, four further goals would be scored over the next 24 minutes.

Brazil 2-0 Serbia

The consensus pre-tournament favourites began the tournament on the right track with an easy victory over Serbia. A dominant second-half performance saw Richarlison score both goals for the Seleção, one of which was a spectacular scissor-kick. Their Balkan opponents, on the other hand, had absolutely no answer for the onslaught they faced over the last 45 minutes.

And now, here are my predictions for Matchday 2 of the World Cup group stage. Bold denotes a win; italics denote a draw.

Wales vs Iran

Qatar vs Senegal
Netherlands vs Ecuador
England vs United States
Tunisia vs Australia
Poland vs Saudi Arabia
France vs Denmark
Argentina vs Mexico
Japan vs Costa Rica
Belgium vs Morocco
Croatia vs Canada
Spain vs Germany
Cameroon vs Serbia
South Korea vs Ghana
Brazil vs Switzerland
Portugal vs Uruguay