Every morning, OneFootball will bring you a full roundup of the night at the World Cup. Here’s the first one!
The must-see of the night
There was only one match again last night, but not just any match: the debut of the third host nation, the United States, against Paraguay, in front of an impressive crowd of global stars: Tom Cruise, Paris Hilton, David Beckham, Karim Abdul-Jabbar... And the Americans thrilled their fans with the first big win of this World Cup (4-1).
It was a complete performance from Pochettino’s men, who were already 3-0 up by halftime, thanks in particular to a brace from Folarin Balogun. The Monaco striker, the first Ligue 1 player to score in this World Cup, was involved in all the right moments and was logically named MVP of the match. It was a historic performance, as he became the first United States player to score multiple goals in a World Cup match since 1930, the first World Cup in history.
The Paraguayans did manage to salvage some pride, with a stunner from Reyna right at the end to complete the American celebration.
The result of the night
United States 4 - 1 Paraguay. Click here to read the match recap.
The standings
Group D:
1) United States - 3 pts (+3)
2) Turkey - 0 pts (0)
3) Australia - 0 pts (0)
4) Paraguay - 0 pts (-3)
The 3 players who stood out
Besides Balogun, the focal point and MVP of the match, several American players impressed, with Pochettino’s men delivering a complete performance. In particular Tim Ream, the captain and center-back, whose commanding display reassured many about the United States’ defensive level.
Giovanni Reyna, the winger and former Dortmund wonderkid, also proved that he can be a major asset for his team and a huge threat to opponents, scoring a superb goal despite coming on late. A real menace.
📸 Jamie Squire - 2026 Getty Images
Today’s schedule and tonight’s fixtures
21:00: Qatar - Switzerland (Group B)
00:00: Brazil - Morocco (Group C)
03:00: Haiti - Scotland (Group C)
06:00: Australia - Turkey (Group D)
The player to watch
The clash of the day is obviously Brazil-Morocco, a mouth-watering matchup for many. While Neymar, ruled out against Morocco and possibly absent for the entire group stage, will not be able to light up this match, all eyes will be on Achraf Hakimi.
Fresh off another Champions League title, the PSG right-back is the leader of a Morocco side coming off strong performances in major tournaments but arriving with a new head coach. Hakimi will have to lead by example if Morocco are to make a huge statement against Ancelotti’s Brazil.
📸 Darrian Traynor - 2026 Getty Images
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.
