World Cup Breakfast: USA win as David and Victoria Beckham cheer them on, day two highlights, Katy Perry’s ‘trainwreck’ performance, Mexico’s surprise biggest fan – and what to look out for today
Hello and welcome to Daily Mail Sport’s World Cup Breakfast from day two of the tournament; Your one-stop shop for everything you’ve been missing overnight in North America.
Stay here for the latest news, viral moments and things to watch out for.
NIGHT ACTION
No expense was spared as Katy Perry headlined the opening ceremony in Los Angeles with her song Wonder. But some described her performance as a ‘train wreck’ and eagle-eyed viewers noticed the Fireworks hitmaker was wearing a badge with a Canadian flag!
There were also vocals by Grammy-winning South African artist Tyla and K-pop group Blackpink, but the most moving part of the show was the cameo of 10-year-old Norwegian singer Tius Luka. The teenager, who recorded Wonder with Perry in 2021 when she was five years old, held Perry’s hand and sang the opening and closing lines in a crystal voice to steal the show.
At least at the giant inflatable World Cup in California, Rema, LISA and Anitta perform alongside an energetic dance troupe.
The same couldn’t be said for Canada, where things had been a bit dull a few hours earlier. Really.
Michael Buble was the poster boy for the ceremony but was suspiciously absent from the first performance. Fans were made to wait until just before kick-off for him to appear.
But what stood out was the large, inflatable Jules Rimet trophy in the middle of the field, which must have been about 40ft high. The aim was to stand behind the likes of Elyanna, Jessie Reyez and Nora Fatehi but after a few seconds of trying it became clear there was a problem and it would only go up by half.
The organizers soon admitted defeat and abandoned their attempt, leaving the performers to sing in front of a globe and a deflated piece of plastic wrap. It’s not ideal. And they had no consequences…
Katy Perry and Norwegian boy Tius Luka perform Wonder at Los Angeles ceremony
A giant Jules Rimet trophy failed to be inflated properly during Canada’s opening ceremony
Organizers had better luck with inflatable exhibits ahead of USA-Paraguay match
Canada 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina, Toronto
Not a great start for one of the three host nations. Jovo Lukic’s goal put the underdogs ahead and Jesse Marsch’s side struggled to create clear-cut opportunities before Cyle Larin equalised.
They still need to be ready to make it to the last 32 if they can at least beat Qatar, but with Switzerland ahead of them the Canadians were hoping to pick up three points from their opening match.
Star player Christian Pulisic had to come off at the break after receiving a kick to his calf and appeared to be struggling to walk, but Mauricio Pochettino said he shouldn’t worry too much.
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USA 4-1 Paraguay, Los Angeles
The United States began its campaign in barnstorming style as it blasted Paraguay and limited its opponents to a single shot on target.
Paraguay did itself no favors with an own goal seven minutes later. Folarin Balogun, who comes from England and Arsenal infrastructure, shot twice and another was ruled out for offside. Giovanni Reyna added a beautiful trivela finish to seal the deal.
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Team of the Day
GROUND VIEW – IAN HERBERT AND DAN MATTHEWS IN LOS ANGELES
– IAN HERBERT:
‘Looking for American football fans?’ I didn’t think so,” says Robert, an American wearing a World Series baseball cap on South Figueroa Street in Los Angeles, a city that has given no hint that there are 24 hours until the United States hosts the opening game of the World Cup.
Many football fans gather outside the Los Angeles FC ground, but only Mexicans; Thousands of them, dressed in green replica tops and sombreros, wander beneath giant images of the MLS club’s stars Neymar, Lionel Messi and Son Heung-min and Nike legend ‘You got this’.
There is no road with images of World Cup stars emerging from the airport, pinned to lampposts or wrapped around skyscrapers.
‘The World Cup is nothing new because we are constantly organizing new events,’ says taxi driver Randall. A woman takes her toddler to the California Science Center next to the football field. There is an exhibition about mummies. Closed.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Remember the faces in case they become global stars one day. The smile on the faces of these youngsters from the Mare slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is the main thing as they prepare for the first World Cup they will remember.
VIRAL MOMENT OF THE DAY
Patriotic duck. Yes that’s true.
The moment actually happened after Mexico’s first match win against South Africa in their home capital on Thursday, but it went viral overnight after former England forward Chris Sutton filmed the video.
Images of a Mexican shirt-wearing duck (potentially a goose) walking away from the Azteca caught the algorithm and received both applause and amusement from fans online.
It wasn’t clear who the animal belonged to — if anyone — but it looked like it was having fun and no one batted an eye. Classic World Cup.
Oh – and Alexi Lalas called James Corden a ‘full-fledged w****r’ on live TV. Read more about it by clicking here.
FAMOUS WATCH
There is probably no Canadian more beloved than Michael Buble, who performed at the second opening ceremony of the tournament. When he took the field just before kick-off, fans had to wait and it took him a while to get the crowd going, but he got there in the end. Vocals are good too.
But Wayne Rooney isn’t so keen. Asked before kick-off if he was a Buble fan, he told the BBC: ‘Honestly it is. But obviously it’s popular in Canada.’
Elsewhere, TV chef Gordon Ramsay made a trip to the Scotland camp ahead of their crucial World Cup opener against Haiti and Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds passionately cheered for Canada in their match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
If that’s not big enough celebrity fame for you, Tom Cruise was on hand for the USA’s win over Paraguay and shared the VIP row with David, Victoria and Romeo Beckham. The Beckhams didn’t sing the national anthem.
Michael Buble was the main attraction of the opening ceremony with his performance just before kick-off.
TV chef Gordon Ramsay gives an encouraging word to the Scotland team while Ryan Reynolds cheers on Canada
David and Victoria Beckham join Tom Cruise in the VIP section of the USA-Paraguay match
STATISTICS OF THE DAY
Although the Netherlands have never won a World Cup in 24 years since 2002, they have not lost a single match within 90 minutes. Yes, they didn’t qualify in 2018, but that was still four games ago.
They will begin their fight against Japan tomorrow.
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER TODAY
1. Which Brazil will perform?
Like Daily Mail Sport Ian Ladyman writes this morning: When it comes to Brazil and the World Cup, one is unthinkable without the other. But it’s been almost a quarter of a century since they won the title and their usual star-studded team looks like it’s not so star-studded anymore.
However, one of the best managers of all time is in charge in Carlo Ancelotti, who is making his debut in international football. We’re waiting to see how much of a role Neymar will play.
2nd Tartan Army captures Massachusetts
Scotland is participating in the World Cup for the first time this century and their fans are enjoying the event. Thousands of Scots have flown to North America and have already left their mark.
A group of fans were seen playing bagpipes outside their AirBnB at 6:30 a.m., while others were seen dancing with Brazilian fans in Times Square. The Flower of Scotland will be remembered loud and proud.
Scotland fans take over Boston ahead of World Cup match against Haiti
3. Haiti’s jersey controversy
Haiti were forced to change their jerseys at the last minute after the design, which featured an image depicting soldiers from the Haitian Revolution, was deemed too ‘political’.
We hadn’t actually seen the new kits at the time of release. They could just remove the scene or find a creative way to compress their message…
TODAY’S GAMES
Qatar vs Switzerland (20:00, ITV1, San Francisco)
Qatar, the host of the last World Cup in 2022, is hoping to have a better tournament this time after losing all three matches and scoring just one goal four years ago.
However, they are one of nine teams with a 500/1 chance of winning the whole thing, the best odds of any side. Meanwhile, Switzerland is dreaming of winning the group and qualifying for the race.
Daily Mail Sport prediction: Switzerland won
Brazil v Morocco (23:00, BBC One, New York)
The match will test Brazil’s metal. Are they here to succeed, or are they serious about competing?
Morocco, who won the African Cup of Nations, is no challenge and the winner of this match will surely go on to win the group. Watch out for the World Cup’s most star power so far; The likes of Arsenal’s Gabriel, Barcelona’s Raphinha and Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr have started for the South Americans, while the African champions boast talents such as PSG’s Achraf Hakimi and Madrid’s Brahim Diaz.
Daily Mail Sport prediction: Brazil won
We will see what version of Brazil, and indeed Neymar, will emerge under Carlo Ancelotti.
Haiti v Scotland (02:00, BBC One, Massachusetts)
The Scots have qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1998 and must look to get out of the group.
They have the firepower of former Manchester United midfielder and Napoli sensation Scott McTominay, who appears to have recovered from illness, the leadership of Europa League winner John McGinn and captain Andy Robertson and the goal-scoring prowess of Lawrence Shankland; This will also be hopeful.
But this is a must-win match. They are in a group where Brazil and AFCON champions Morocco are strong, so they will face each other in both groups. But a win here would set them up nicely and give Steve Clarke and Co some momentum.
Daily Mail Sport prediction: Scotland won
Australia v Türkiye (05:00, ITV1, Vancouver)
There isn’t much narrative surrounding this game, but Australia will be looking to put on another good showing after reaching the last 16 four years ago. They want to get out of the group but they haven’t beaten Türkiye before.
Their rivals are competing on the World Cup stage for the first time since 2002. They are also in good form and have won seven of the last eight games. Stars of the show will include Leicester’s Harry Souttar and Inter Milan’s Hakan Çalhanoğlu.
Daily Mail Sport prediction: Türkiye wins
Which British star has 7 GCSEs? Who lost half their finger? Test your knowledge of Thomas Tuchel’s squad with our exclusive quiz HERE
