France got Group I underway with a convincing 3-1 win over Senegal in a match that rekindled memories of the famous 2002 upset when the Africans stunned the defending champions. The Senegalese made life difficult for Didier Deschamps’ side early on, but France's quality eventually shone through. Kylian Mbappé stole the headlines with a brace, while Bradley Barcola also found the back of the net as Les Bleus secured an important opening victory. Mbappé’s double also saw him become France’s all-time leading goal-scorer.

The second match of the Group saw Norway make an emphatic start to their World Cup campaign with a 4-1 victory over Iraq. Much of the attention was on Manchester City star Erling Haaland, and he delivered on the biggest stage. Norway's attacking quality proved too much for Iraq as the Scandinavians moved level with France at the top of Group I after the opening round of fixtures.

Defending champions Argentina in turn began the defence of their crown in style with a comfortable 3-0 win over Algeria. Lionel Scaloni's side looked every bit the reigning champions as they controlled proceedings from start to finish. The victory immediately underlined Argentina's status as one of the favourites to lift the trophy once again, while Algeria were left with work to do in their remaining group matches.

Lionel Messi, playing in his 200th game for Argentina celebrated the occasion in style with a hat-trick of goals for the defending champions.

Attention now shifts to Groups K and L, where several more contenders begin their World Cup journeys.

The first match of the evening, kicking off at 19:00, will see Portugal face the Democratic Republic of Congo in Group K. Portugal enter the tournament with high expectations and will be eager to secure maximum points before tougher tests later in the group stage. DR Congo, meanwhile, will look to spring an upset and make a statement on their return to football's biggest stage.

At 22:00, one of the most anticipated fixtures of the group phase takes place when England tackle Croatia in Group L. England arrive in North America carrying the weight of expectation after several deep runs at major tournaments, while Croatia remain one of the most dangerous and experienced sides in international football.

The clash could have a significant bearing on who tops the group.

The day's action concludes in the early hours of Thursday morning when Ghana take on Panama at 1:00. The Blacks Stars will be hoping to give African football another boost after mixed results from the continent's representatives, while Panama are seeking a winning start to their campaign.

Later, at 4:00 on Thursday morning, Uzbekistan face Colombia in the final match of the day. Colombia are always highly regarded, but Uzbekistan have already shown during qualification that they are capable of causing problems for more established football nations.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport