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Australia launched their World Cup campaign with an impressive 2-0 win against Turkey on Saturday night, with the Socceroos going joint top of Group D alongside the United States, who also started the tournament strongly with a victory over Paraguay on Friday.
Two fine finishes from Watford’s Nestory Irankunda and St. Pauli midfielder Connor Metcalfe, as well as a solid performance in net from young goalkeeper Patrick Beach, sealed Turkey’s fate in Vancouver.
Aussie winger Irankunda, who took home the player of the match award, broke the deadlock in the 27th minute with a brilliant touch around the last defender before calmly slotting home.
Metcalfe finished the game off in the 75th minute with a precision strike from outside of the box, leaving Turkey with a lot of work to do before they meet Paraguay in San Franciso next week.
Five-time champions Brazil got off to a slow start against Morocco at MetLife Stadium, with 2022 semifinalists Morocco dominating much of the match and taking a deserved 1-0 lead when Ismael Saibari lifted the ball over Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker on 21 minutes.
But Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. stepped up to spare his nation’s blushes with a superb solo effort just 11 minutes later.
Elsewhere, Scotland edged past Haiti 1-0 in a cagey affair that marked the Scots first appearance at the tournament in almost 30 years.
The winner, a deflected John McGinn shot, was far from spectacular, but it ensured the Tartan Army left with plenty to cheer about as they soaked up Scotland’s return to the pinnacle of football.
Earlier in the day, Qatar claimed their first ever World Cup point following a dramatic stoppage time equaliser that saw them earn a 1-1 draw against Switzerland.
The result leaves Group B wide open after Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina also shared the points in their opening tie.