National Teams

To beat Wales to open its World Cup campaign, scoring twice was always going to be necessary for the United States. Why? Because even if he did absolutely nothing for 89 minutes, you knew Gareth Bale was going to score in the 90th. 

The U.S. got its first in a sensational opening 45 minutes, but that second goal never came as Wales gained the ascendency for large portions of the second half. The inevitable moment finally arrived in the 82nd minute after Walker Zimmerman fouled Bale in the area, and the 33-year-old came up clutch from the spot.

At the 2018 World Cup (one of the best group stages ever), we didn't have a 0-0 until Day 13 of the tournament. We looked set for one on Day 2 of the 2022 World Cup before Frenkie de Jong's beautifully measured ball met the advancing Cody Gakpo just ahead of the outrushing Édouard Mendy in the 84th minute, and Davy Klaassen added another at the death.  

If winning Group B at the World Cup comes down to goal difference, England already has it in the bag after its extremely impressive 6-2 opening victory over an Iran side in disharmony. 

Kick-off at Khalifa International Stadium was scheduled for 1 p.m. in the UK, but obviously that didn't stop England supporters from getting rowdy as hell on a Monday afternoon.

FIFA’s concussion protocol is still Medieval and that was on full display during the first half of England’s opener vs. Iran on Monday. Iran’s goalkeeper, Alireza Beiranvand, had a nasty clash of heads with teammate Majid Hosseini in the eighth minute.

Iran Goalkeeper Concussion Controversy

Here was the incident that took place.

England is already knocking pic.twitter.com/Y9t5lfHMi6

DOHA - Players of Iran's national soccer team chose not to sing their country's anthem at their opening World Cup match against England on Monday, in an apparent show of support for protesters back home.

The players were silent as the anthem was played at the Khalifa International Stadium, where Iranian fans gathered in the stands shouted as the music was played. Some were seen making thumbs-down gestures.

AL KHOR, Qatar - Captain Enner Valencia extended his cult status in Ecuador to wider international acclaim with a first-half double that propelled the South Americans to a comfortable 2-0 win over hosts Qatar in the opening game of the World Cup on Sunday.

The 33-year-old forward, nicknamed Superman, increased his record tally of goals for Ecuador to 37 and became the country’s highest scoring player at World Cup tournaments as his double at the Al Bayt Stadium added to the three he scored in 2014.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is underway with Ecuador handling the supremely limited host nation Qatar 2-0 without surrendering a shot on target. It was a pathetic display from Qatar, but their tournament will thankfully be over quickly Friday after Senegal once again hands them a deserved beating. 

So what did we learn from Sunday's curtain raiser besides the fact that Morgan Freeman has added a couple million to his bank account?