World Cup panic meter: Brazil, Spain and Portugal all dropped points. Who should be most concerned?

All 48 teams have played one game at this World Cup , meaning it’s time to overreact to 90 minutes of soccer! Entering the tournament, six teams formed the top tier of favorites . Three of those teams won as expected in their openers, with the star of each scoring at least two goals in a multiple-goal win against a team considered second- or third-best in the group. France got two goals from Kylian Mbappé in a 3-1 win over Senegal . Lionel Messi’s hat trick powered Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria. Harry Kane scored twice in England’s 4-2 win over Croatia. Business as usual for those teams and their key players. The other three favorites (Brazil, Spain, Portugal) all dropped points in draws, with two of those draws coming against massive underdogs. Before rating each team’s concern level on a scale from 1 to 10 (with 10 meaning it’s time for complete panic), let’s talk through what this panic meter means. World Cup schedule | Group schedule, results | Standings Because of the forgiving format with eight of twelve third-place teams advancing, there’s still little chance that any of these favorites get eliminated in the group stage. One win or even two draws in the final two group games will likely get them through, so this exercise is more about trying to extrapolate what we learned from each team’s first 90 minutes into the potential deep tournament run that all these teams expect. Brazil Brazil’s 1-1 opening draw with Morocco was the least surprising of these three opening scores, as Morocco reached the 2022 World Cup semifinals and won Africa Cup of Nations this year, while moving up to seventh in the FIFA rankings, one spot behind Brazil. So the result itself is not concerning at all. Brazil’s remaining group opponents are Haiti and Scotland, who didn’t have a World Cup win between them until Scotland (perhaps undeservedly) beat Haiti on Saturday. However, Brazil rarely looked like Brazil against Morocco. The Atlas Lions dominated the first half hour, outshooting Brazil 12-3 and seizing a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute. Then Vinícius Júnior’s moment of individual brilliance tied the game and turned the tide. That’s what Brazil can do with its collection of attacking talent.  All the pre-tournament questions about Brazil’s semi-existent midfield remain though. Thirty-somethings Casemiro and Fabinho don’t look like the answers, as Morocco frequently charged right through the center of the pitch to create chances. Master tinkerer Carlo Ancelotti may solve this puzzle, though I’m not optimistic. Brazil will be fine in the group stage, but a matchup with Japan or Netherlands is a strong possibility in the Round of 32, and either of those teams could similarly run riot on Brazil’s midfield and send the Seleção home early. Brazil concern level: 5 Spain Co-favorite Spain’s 0-0 draw against debutant Cape Verde was the biggest surprise in the first set of group games.  On the bright side, Spain dominated the game as expected, holding 74 percent possession and outshooting Cape Verde 27-6. Had even one Spain shot found the back of the net, this conversation wouldn’t be happening. On the not-so-bright side, this draw was reminiscent of how Spain has gone out in the Round of 16 at the last two World Cups. In 2018, Spain had 78 percent possession and outshot Russia 24-8, but was eliminated on penalties. In 2022, Spain had 76 percent possession and only outshot Morocco 13-6 before getting ousted on penalties. One might question Mikel Oyarzabal as Spain’s center forward, but he had five shots in the game and could easily have scored one. He had 15 La Liga goals for Real Sociedad this season, and he’d scored in six straight caps before Monday, so I think he’ll be fine. Plus Spain’s two best wingers, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, combined to play 22 minutes against Cape Verde as they continue recovering from injury. When they’re fit, the attack will be even more dominant, and Spain will still be far better than Saudi Arabia or Uruguay in Group H. I still expect Spain to win the group and go on a deep run in the knockout stage. Spain concern level: 2 Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, joined Lionel Messi as the only players to appear in six men’s World Cups, but unlike his longtime rival, he was unable to find the scoresheet in Portugal’s opener. Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images Portugal João Neves scored in the sixth minute against Congo DR, and Portugal seemed en route to an easy opening win. But Portugal mustered only one additional first-half shot, and Yoane Wissa equalized for Congo DR on the stroke of halftime. Portugal controlled possession in the second half (68 percent) but did little with it, outshooting Congo DR only 5-2 while rarely looking in sync.  Let’s talk about the Ronaldo in the room. The 41-year-old played all 90 minutes and appears anchored in Portugal’s starting lineup, but at times he’s more dead weight than inspiration. Portugal has a generational midfield behind him, and they seem focused on getting him the ball in the box rather than making optimal plays for themselves or others.  Ronaldo is not the sole attacking issue for the Portuguese. Their wingers have not played up to their talent recently. Pedro Neto, Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leão and Francisco Conceição combined for a single shot and a single chance created in 180 minutes against Congo DR. They need to step up, and they would also benefit from a less Ronaldo-centric system.  Colombia is atop Group K with three points, which means Portugal could face Ghana or Croatia in the Round of 32 as the group runner-up, then potentially get Spain in the Round of 16. Portugal’s ceiling is limited until its Ronaldo dilemma is solved, and that’s a big reason for concern. Portugal concern level: 8