Ecuador, England and the Netherlands got off to winning starts in the 22nd edition of the Fifa World Cup, while the first draw of the tournament came through the match between USA and Wales. The first two days has seen plentiful of action in Qatar, the maiden occasion an Arab country hosted the greatest show on earth. Here are four talking points after the first round of Group A and B games:
The coming of Bellingham, Saka
Manager Gareth Southgate's decision to start Jude Bellingham paid off rich dividends as the 19-year old put in a world-class performance against Iran. The Borussia Dortmund youngster was deployed alongside Declan Rice in a two-man shield in front of the four-man defence, and settled any possible early jitters with his precise header from a Luke Shaw cross. As he broke the deadlock on World Cup debut, he became the second youngest English scorer in the competition's history, after an 18-year old Michael Owen burst onto the scene in 1998. Maturity belying his age, Bellingham made his presence felt all over the park, either breaking up opposition forays or orchestrating attacks. The goal only served to fire him up for the rest of the clash as he became the first footballer born after the turn of the new millennium to score in the World Cup. Alongside Bellingham, another Southgate decision that did its trick was preferring Bukayo Saka over the in-form Phil Foden. The 21-year old bagged a delightful brace, first a picturesque volley and the second one of his customary runs past the opponent defenders followed by a precise finish into the corner with his left foot. And thus, the Arsenal man buried the bitter memories of his penalty shootout miss against Italy in the Euro 2021 final, and the subsequent racial abuse on social media.
Jude Bellingham's heat map against IranAlmost a policeman
Dutch coach Louis van Gaal's no-nonsense approach throughout his coaching career has earned him the nickname “Iron Tulip”. Not everyone's cup of tea, Van Gaal omitted the experienced Tim Krul from the squad after the goalkeeper refused to take part in penalty training. Another netminder who was overlooked for the Qatar contingent was Jasper Cillessen, formerly at Barcelona. Interestingly, Cillessen, who had stood between the sticks in the 2014 World Cup, had said in an interview back in October that he hoped to be on the plane to Qatar. Upon finding out about his axing later, Cillessen exploded with anger, but Van Gaal was unperturbed. He instead went with a left-field decision, naming debutant Andries Noppert in a surprising move. A late bloomer with just 45 league games under his belt, the 28-year old's family urged him to quit football in 2020 when he was without a club, and become a policeman. But Noppert persisted, and eventually vindicated Van Gaal's gamble, bringing out some lovely saves to deny Sadio Mane-less Senegal. Similar to a policeman, Noppert marshalled the goal line perfectly, while Cody Gakpo and Davy Klaassen added one goal each at the other end to secure three points for the three-time finalists.
Hosts face baptism of fire
Being the Asian champions, Qatar were quietly optimistic after getting to find out their Group A opponents. For them to progress past the group stage of the $220bn event, they had to hit the ground running against Ecuador. But the Qataris couldn't give a good account of themselves, and suffered the ignominy of being the first host nation to lose their opening game. They looked bereft of ideas and the gulf in class was apparent as the hosts failed to register a single shot on target. Qatar on their World Cup debut were simply outclassed by the South Americans, and their immediate prospects do not look good either as they prepare to face African champions Senegal and the Dutch, who at 18th and eighth place respectively are far ahead of the Ecuadoreans (44th) in the Fifa ranking.
Bale spoils Weah fairytale
It was a game of two halves as youthful USA dominated the first half, before Wales came firing out of the blocks in the second. The Americans, who have the second youngest squad at the World Cup, were given the lead by Timothy Weah, son of Liberia president and 1995 Ballon d'Or winner George Weah. Son Tim produced a clinical finish from a Christian Pulisic pass to make up for the disappointment of his father never getting the chance to play at the World Cup, as the Liberians never made it to the finals in their history. Africa's first and only recipient of the Ballon d'Or, Weah Sr would no doubt appreciate his son's cool finish under pressure. The Welsh Dragons though were making history of their own, appearing in the World Cup for the first time in 64 years. Gareth Bale marked the historic occasion with an equalizing goal from the penalty spot; his 41st international goal ensuring a share of the spoils.
