The first day of the World Cup is over, and we saw it all: pretty goals, ugly goals, numerous record cards, and an opening ceremony that most people in the United States didn’t get to see.
Here are the winners and losers of the opening 24 hours of the World Cup.
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Following an objectively messy opening game between Mexico and South Africa, there was little hype going into Czechia and South Korea. But what turned into the secondary game of Day 1 at the World Cup turned into an instant classic, with both teams throwing themselves at the goal in a heated battle. While South Korea came out on top 2-1, Czechia nearly grabbed control of the game from a set piece goal that was waved off due to an offside.
Loser: FOX
You never want millions of people watching your broadcast on opening day, and that’s what happened with FOX. While most of the production was strong (we’ll get to one of the pluses later) and their new pundit desk is entertaining, it isn’t entertaining enough to miss the opening ceremony in Mexico City. Worse than that, though, they missed a bit of the Mexico vs. South Africa game following a hydration break due to an ad running too long.
Winner: Referee Cam
Referee cam rocks. While we’ve seen it in the Premier League and some other test fields first, getting to see actual highlights on-field from the perspective of the officials is awesome. More ref cam, less ads during hydration breaks.
Loser: South Africa
It’s harsh to punch down on who was considered the weakest team in Group A coming into the tournament, but I have to put South Africa here. Czechia lost but showed a lot of fight and some actual strengths (their height and set pieces) that could see them pick up a win this World Cup. South Africa, though? It was a tough watch, and that’s not even including the double red cards.
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