Cabo Verde pulled off one of the most shocking results in World Cup history by holding European champions, Spain, to a goalless draw in their tournament opener.
Boasting a population of just 550,000, the island nation is the third-smallest country ever to reach the World Cup finals.
Despite the massive gulf in stature, Cabo Verde frustrated the 2010 champions for 90 minutes, largely thanks to a heroic, defining performance from their 40-year-old veteran goalkeeper, Vozinha.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s long wait for a historic World Cup victory continues following a dramatic 1-1 draw in the day’s second match.
Emam Ashour initially broke the deadlock in spectacular style to give the Pharaohs hope of securing their first-ever win at their fourth finals appearance.
However, the celebration was short-lived; Romelu Lukaku emerged from the bench and immediately applied heavy pressure to Mohamed Hany, forcing the defender to turn the ball into his own net for a heartbreaking own goal.
Over in Miami, Group H was blown wide open as Uruguay dominated large stretches of play but ultimately had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia in sweltering conditions.
Defender Abdulelah al-Amri handed the Saudis a surprise lead against the run of play near the end of the first half.
Uruguay dialed up the pressure in the second period, finally breaking through with just 10 minutes remaining when Maxi Araujo slotted home the equalizer, leaving all four teams in the pool tied on one point each.
In the final match of the day, Iran twice battled back from behind to rescue a frenetic 2-2 draw against New Zealand at the Los Angeles Stadium.
The match took place under a heavy cloud of tension, as Team Melli’s presence at the tournament had long been cast into doubt following months of intense military conflict and political hostility between Iran and the United States.
Once the focus shifted to the pitch, the Iranians found themselves repeatedly vulnerable against the tournament’s lowest-ranked team, falling behind twice to goals from New Zealand striker Elijah Just.
Backed by a passionate section of the crowd, Iran fought back with crucial equalizers from Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi to spare their side an opening-day defeat.
