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Opening round recap: USA roar, Brazil stumble, Scotland's long wait ends
Hosts USA hit four, title hopefuls Brazil were held by Morocco, and Scotland won a World Cup match for the first time since 1990. The wild first round, recapped.
Clinch Desk · Sun, Jun 14
The first full round of group games delivered goals, upsets and history all at once. From a host-nation statement in Los Angeles to a 36-year drought ending in Boston, here is everything that mattered.
The United States made the loudest noise. At SoFi Stadium they thrashed Paraguay 4-1 — an own goal from Damián Bobadilla inside seven minutes, a Folarin Balogun brace before the break (31', 45'+5'), and a Giovanni Reyna strike deep in stoppage time after Maurício had pulled one back on 73'. It was the first time the USMNT has scored four in a single World Cup match.
Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil were brought back to earth. Morocco led through Ismael Saibari's 21st-minute chip over Alisson and out-shot the five-time champions for long spells; only Vinícius Júnior's 32nd-minute equalizer and a brilliant late Alisson double save rescued a 1-1 draw at MetLife Stadium.
Scotland ended one of the game's longer waits. John McGinn's deflected 28th-minute effort beat Haiti 1-0 in Boston for Scotland's first World Cup win since 1990 — and with Brazil and Morocco drawing, it sent them top of Group C.
It was a day of firsts elsewhere. Co-hosts Canada came from behind for a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyle Larin's 78th-minute equalizer earning their first men's World Cup point ever. Qatar matched the feat even later, Boualem Khoukhi heading home in the 94th minute to deny Switzerland and claim Qatar's first World Cup point. And in Vancouver, Australia beat Turkey 2-0, with 20-year-old Nestory Irankunda becoming Australia's youngest World Cup scorer.
Standings, goal difference and live qualification scenarios update automatically on each group page as results land — and the full fixture list, in your time zone, is on the schedule page.