Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal stars stole the show overnight as day four of the World Cup brought goals galore. Earlier in the day, four-time winners Germany overcame a brief scare from World Cup debutants Curacao before turning on the style to win their Group E opener in Houston, going on to record a massive 7-1 win following the Caribbean island's equaliser that had earlier made it 1-1 - their first goal in World Cup history.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands had to settle for a point after twice throwing away the lead against Japan in a thrilling 2-2 draw that will no doubt bring criticism of Oranje manager Ronald Koeman's defensive tactics. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk had opened the scoring with a trademark header but Daichi Kamada's late header of his own rescued a deserved point for Japan. But there were plenty more goals and controversy to come... Here's our round-up of all the big news from day four of the World Cup.
Sweden's statement win
Yasin Ayari bagged a brace and Liverpool striker Alexander Isak found the net with a cool finish as Sweden delivered one of the tournament's standout performances so far, thrashing Tunisia. Arsenal forward Viktor Gyokeres and Mattias Svanberg also got on the scoresheet, while Omar Rekik's goal ended up being mere consolation. The combination of Isak and Gyokeres was just too much for the North Africans to handle, with the £125m forward who spent much of last season at Anfield injured showing his class.
With one goal and two assists, he became only the second Swedish player to record a goal and two assists in a World Cup match since 1966, after Tomas Brolin against Bulgaria in 1994. And he will have eased the nerves of Liverpool fans still wondering whether the first season flop will ever recapture the form he showed at Newcastle United before his controversial transfer last summer. Graham Potter's squad currently lead Group F and are set to face the Netherlands next on Saturday evening. A win in that match should be sufficient to propel Sweden into the knockout stages.
Uruguay chaos
FIFA have issued a statement following Uruguay's team flight from Mexico to the United States being held up on Sunday, reports the Mirror. The holdup was caused by documentation problems with the aircraft, which meant it hadn't received clearance to fly the route from Cancun to Miami. The Uruguayan Federation seemed to point the finger at FIFA for the setback in their own statement. They said: "Due to problems beyond the control of the AUF, the departure from Mexico has been delayed. The squad is resting at the hotel. The new departure time set by FIFA is 4.15pm."
FIFA, however, hit back by blaming the airline. Their statement declared: "Due to an airline permitting error in Mexico, the Uruguay national team's departure from Cancun to Miami was delayed. The airline has apologised for the inconvenience caused. FIFA remained in close contact with the Uruguay national team throughout their delay and worked alongside airport and operational partners to help expedite the process and minimise disruption to the team's travel arrangements." Uruguay have now touched down in Miami and conducted their postponed press conference with manager Marcelo Bielsa and skipper Jose Maria Gimenez. They begin their World Cup journey against Saudi Arabia tonight.
ITV viewers furious
Japan fought back twice to kick off their World Cup campaign with a thrilling 2-2 stalemate against the Netherlands - but ITV viewers were far from pleased. Virgil van Dijk nodded the Netherlands ahead six minutes into the second half before Keito Nakamura levelled matters just shy of the hour mark. Crysencio Summerville then put his team back in front before Daichi Kamada's late header secured a well-earned point for Japan. Yet supporters tuning in at home on Sunday evening were left thoroughly unimpressed by the picture quality on offer.
One posted: "Whats with the picture quality on @ITV? Absolutely awful. Glad I'm not a football fan because I couldn't sit and watch a match like that." Another commented: "The @ITV picture quality of the World Cup is awful. Should have stayed in Salford and invested in some camera technology. It's like watching on a 24 inch Granada rental in the early 80s." A third raged: "@ITV what's with the poor picture quality of your World Cup games, had to turn off watching the Japan v Dutch game giving me a headache. Same on previous matches." Another vented: "@itvfootball belongs in the bin. The picture quality is worse than a dial up stream 20 years ago. It's literally making my eyes go funny. Awful stuff @ITV."
Ivory Coast leave it late
Just prior to that game, a last-minute goal from Amad Diallo secured the Ivory Coast a 1-0 victory in their opening encounter with Ecuador in Philadelphia. The South Americans hit the woodwork three times, with the Ivory Coast also striking the bar before Manchester United winger Amad slotted home in the 90th minute. It was a stunning finish as the substitute opened his left foot to divert the ball into the corner after a powerful run from Wilfried Singo - and it ended a 19-game unbeaten run stretching for almost two years for Ecuador.
It looked like Ecuador, who had previously kept 12 clean sheets in 19 games under manager Sebastian Beccacece, had done enough to stifle Ivory Coast's attack including star man Yan Diomande, who impressed following months of being linked to a blockbuster transfer to Liverpool from RB Leipzig. Emerse Fae's team will next face Germany, with both sides entering the match on the back of wins after Julian Nagelsmann's side trounced debutants Curacao in Houston. That Group E clash is slated for Saturday night.
UEFA chief under fire
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has faced criticism from 13 World Cup nations after he suggested the expanded tournament had resulted in many fixtures being "uninteresting". However, the football associations of Cape Verde, Curacao, Uzbekistan, DR Congo, Haiti, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast and South Africa have united to "express their profound disappointment" at Ceferin.
In a joint statement, they declared: "We respectfully but firmly reject these comments. For our countries, there is no such thing as an unimportant World Cup match. For Cape Verde, Curacao and Uzbekistan, qualification for the Fifa World Cup represents a historic achievement and the realisation of a dream shared by generations. For nations such as Congo and Haiti, returning to football's biggest stage after a long absence carries a special meaning for millions of supporters who have waited years, and in some cases decades, for this moment. To suggest that these matches are somehow less important is deeply disappointing and fails to recognise the efforts, sacrifices and aspirations of players, coaches, clubs, football leaders and supporters across the world."
Iran captain takes aim at FIFA
FIFA officials urged journalists to focus on sport and tactics during a press conference featuring Iran's head coach Amir Ghalenoei and captain Mehdi Taremi. Iran's participation in the finals has been uncertain since the United States and Israeli air strikes commenced in February. The squad relocated their training headquarters to Tijuana in Mexico in an attempt to sidestep visa complications, yet 11 officials were still refused US visas to cross the border and witness the team's fixtures.
They touched down in Los Angeles on Sunday prior to their opener against New Zealand, with Taremi claiming the furore and upheaval surrounding their participation at the World Cup contradicts FIFA's message of peace. "This kind of tension undermines that joy and it undermines the message of FIFA and our people, which is about football and bringing about peace," the striker declared. "I think this World Cup could have provided a better atmosphere than it has, and I hope in the future it will be better for all fans, whoever they are supporting. It's not just Iran that has been impacted; others have been impacted, including referees [the Somali official Omar Artan was denied entry]. I have felt the tension from the first moment we arrived at this World Cup. Of course, we don't have the same beautiful experience we usually talk about – peace and joy. I know several countries had visa problems and changing of training camps. The tension exists – it did before the World Cup even started. The feeling, the sensation people always have looking forward to a World Cup, I think this time they hadn't had the same feeling."
