World Cup - Matchday 1

Welcome to WhoReps first look at the 2018 World Cup. Today we'll be recapping the opening game and looking ahead to tomorrow's matches! Enjoy.
                                            
And we're off! 1,432 days after Germany defeated Argentina in the 2014 final in Rio de Janeiro, the FIFA World Cup is upon us once again. For the next month, the center of the sporting, cultural, and political world is a little-known Eurasian country by the name of Russia. Not like they've been in the news lately or anything.
 
The opening night game was in Moscow, featuring the former Soviet Union matched up against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Frankly, the less said the better. This Saudi team is probably the worst team to make the World Cup since... Saudi Arabia themselves in 2002. That team lost 8-0 in their opening match to Germany. This one was a downright nailbiter by comparison - a 5-0 shellacking by a Russian side that's hardly a tournament favorite.
 
Midfielder Aleksandr Golovin dominated the forgiving Saudi defense, with two assists and a beautiful free kick goal that finished the scoring in extra time. Winger Denis Cherysev had two goals of his own to help put the Saudis away early. Golovin, just 22 years old, has become a crucial player for his club team CSKA Moscow, and reportedly agreed to a contract with Italian power Juventus after the game. Perfect timing.
 
Let me let you in on a little secret: nobody actually knows anything about international soccer. Players are constantly shuffled in and out, only playing together for brief stretches amidst challenging club seasons. National team managers may have completely different tactics than what certain players have been successful in. Anyone who tries to tell you they know who will win this tournament is lying. Personally, I'm rooting for an Iran-Saudi Arabia final. What could go wrong?
 
Tomorrow is when the action really gets going in full. Liverpool fans will be anxious to see if superstar Mo Salah is fully recovered from the shoulder injury that knocked him out of the Champions League final last month. His Egyptian squad is going up against annual threat Uruguay and the great Luis Suarez. The most interesting match of the day will certainly be Spain vs Portugal, which pits Cristiano Ronaldo against a Spanish side that was expected to go deep in the tournament, until they suddenly fired their manager 48 hours before the Cup. It's not a World Cup without a little off-pitch drama!
 
Stay tuned to WhoReps as we recap the action every day!