Folarin Balogun, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams and Malik Tillman. The wing-backs, Alex Freeman and Antonee Robinson, stayed high and wide, while Paraguay were slightly narrow, which allowed those runners to exploit the space with ease. Paraguay found themselves 3-0 down going into the half-time break, and, in truth, it could have been even more. The second half was much better for Paraguay, although the USA taking Pulisic off at half-time did help matters slightly. Mauricio made the game interesting in the 73rd minute after coming off the bench to score from an Enciso assist. However, it proved to be nothing more than a consolation goal. Things were made worse in the dying embers of the game when Giovanni Reyna scored in stoppage time to complete a 4-1 battering of the Paraguayans.
Paraguay simply have to be way, way, way better in their next match against Turkey than they were in this one. Perhaps opting for a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 would be a better option if they want to get the best out of their attacking players. It’s expected that Bobadilla and Sanabria will be replaced by Matías Galarza and Isidro Pitta. The latter plays his club football in Brazil and is a strong hold-up type striker. Galarza has also played club football in Brazil but currently plays for Atlanta United, on loan from River Plate. Brazil One of the most entertaining games in terms of competitiveness was Brazil against Morocco, with the two sides playing out an exciting 1-1 draw. For Brazil, there was much talk about their formation and how they would play. It turned out to be a 4-2-3-1, and Igor Thiago started up front, a gamble that didn’t end up paying off. It was a similar performance to how some of Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid sides would play. They would not necessarily perform well for the full 90 minutes, but they would always find a way to get a result or take something from the game. That is exactly what Brazil did in this match. Morocco took the lead through a lovely goal from Ismael Saibari, but Brazil’s key man Vinícius Júnior managed to pull his side level 11 minutes later. The second half was not quite as exciting as the first. Morocco registered just one shot on target, while Brazil managed three, but in the end, the Brazilians cannot really complain about the result. It was a fair outcome, and they will be hoping to improve against Haiti. Brazil are likely to be more attacking in that game, but they have to be wary of Haiti because, yes, Haiti suffered defeat in their opening match against Scotland, but they performed far better than many people expected coming into the tournament and probably felt hard done by not to get at least something from the game. The game against Haiti could be an exciting one, depending on how adventurous Haiti want to be. It could become a high-scoring affair because Brazil have not exactly looked solid defensively, at least in the matches leading up to the tournament. It will be interesting to see what happens in that game. Brazil are expected to win and should score a few goals in the process, but time will tell. Ecuador Ecuador began their campaign in disappointing fashion as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to the Ivory Coast. However, it was a very similar story to their last World Cup campaign, where they would dominate matches but struggle to show a killer instinct in front of goal, probably due to lacking an out-and-out number nine. Of course, at the last tournament, they opened with a win against Qatar, but their lack of creativity and cutting edge ultimately saw them exit at the group stage. There is no time to panic, though, as Curaçao are up next after suffering a heavy defeat to Germany. It is important that Ecuador bounce back at the first time of asking. Ecuador, especially in the first half, were by far the better side. John Yeboah hit the crossbar after a well-worked move, while Alan Minda also struck the woodwork in the 30th minute. It was like a home game for Ecuador, with their supporters turning the stadium into a sea of yellow. At times, it felt more like Quito or Guayaquil than Philadelphia. The defeat also brought an end to Ecuador’s incredible 19-match unbeaten run, and it came at the worst possible time. The second half was much more competitive. Ivory Coast looked brighter and more dangerous on the counter-attack, but Ecuador still remained the better side. However, Ecuador’s punishment for not taking their chances arrived in the 90th minute when Wilfried Singo scored to make it 1-0. Ecuador will feel they deserved at least a point and will be disappointed not to have come away with anything from the game. Uruguay Coming into the game, there had already been growing distrust in Uruguay around Marcelo Bielsa and his methods, with some suggesting that parts of the Uruguay squad had fallen out of love with playing under him. Their 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia did little to ease those concerns, as Uruguay are now without a win in five matches. The first half was a relatively dull affair, with very little happening until Abdullah Al Ammari opened the scoring for Saudi Arabia, leaving Uruguay needing to respond. Without key creator Giorgian de Arrascaeta, they really lacked someone with a key to unlock the Saudi backline. The main bright spark for Uruguay throughout the game was Sporting CP winger Maximiliano Araújo, who looked threatening every time he got on the ball. It was Araújo who eventually levelled for Uruguay in the 80th minute to earn his side a point. Uruguay will feel they pushed hard and probably deserved all three points, especially considering their second-half performance. They registered eight shots on target from 22 attempts and enjoyed 75% possession. However, in the end, they could not find a way through. For all the talk about Bielsa, it was actually a change from him that sparked the uplift in performance, as he took off Darwin Núñez and Matías Viña at half-time, bringing on Agustín Canobbio and Juan Sanabria. Following those changes, Uruguay’s new structure saw them become much more aggressive, pressing with a higher tempo and dominating the wide areas. As a result, Uruguay produced a completely different performance in the second half. With Spain and Cape Verde playing out a goalless draw in the other Group H fixture, the group has been thrown wide open. Uruguay’s next assignment is a clash with Spain in what could be a fascinating battle. Spain will be desperate for victory following their disappointing performance against Cape Verde, while Uruguay will also be hoping to secure their first win of the tournament. It could become a tactical battle between Bielsa and Luis de la Fuente, but knowing Bielsa, a game of chess is not really his style. Instead, he will likely want Uruguay to go full throttle and see what happens. Argentina The defending champions, Argentina, came into the tournament looking relatively relaxed following their recent Copa América successes and their World Cup triumph in 2022. They played with swagger, intensity and confidence. They were an enjoyable watch and looked like a team that had won their last eight matches, which is exactly what they have done. They made Algeria look ordinary. They made Algeria look poor. The only real scare came in the opening stages when Farès Chaïbi saw his goal ruled out, but other than that, it was complete dominance from Lionel Scaloni’s side. Every player looked comfortable and as though they wanted to be there. It was simply a breath of fresh air. The centre-back partnership of Lisandro Martínez and Cristian Romero looked solid, but that is before we even touch on the brilliance of Lionel Messi . Messi scored a fantastic hat-trick, breaking the record to become the oldest player to do so at a World Cup , breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s record from the 2018 World Cup. He was simply unplayable. The way he drifted into space, the way he walked around the pitch before accelerating into life, and the way he creates his own opportunities was simply Lionel Messi. Messi now finds himself just one goal away from breaking Miroslav Klose’s World Cup goalscoring record, and if there is any player who deserves to break it, it is him. Next up is a clash with Austria as Argentina look to make it two wins from two. If they play anything like they did against Algeria, they should have no problems. Colombia The final South American team to take to the stage was Colombia, and it also marked the end of the first round of group-stage fixtures as they faced Uzbekistan. A lovely move early on saw Luis Díaz find Crystal Palace’s Daniel Muñoz, who arrived well to score a fine goal past the Uzbek goalkeeper. It was a pretty dominant first half from Colombia, who played with a fluid swagger about them. With the creativity they possess in Luis Díaz, Jhon Arias and James Rodríguez, they are an exciting side to watch. However, they were given a scare when Abbosbek Fayzullaev pulled things level out of nowhere for Uzbekistan. Luis Díaz restored Colombia’s lead moments later, before a 99th-minute goal from Jaminton Campaz secured a 3-1 victory for the Colombians in what was ultimately a deserved result. It was, of course, their star man, Luis Díaz, who picked up the Player of the Match award, and he is likely to be a key asset for Colombia going forward. Just like when Ecuador played, it was a sea of yellow in Mexico as Colombian supporters turned out in huge numbers. The result gives Colombia early control of Group K following Portugal’s draw with DR Congo in the earlier game. They will now take on DR Congo in Mexico, where it is likely to be another sea of yellow and a Colombian-South American party.
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