Canada and the USA also officially opened the World Cup in Toronto and Los Angeles – and then also impressed on the pitch. The sports show gives an overview of the highlights of the night.
Opening ceremony in Toronto
The World Cup also officially opened in Canada with the second opening ceremony in Toronto. The focus was on the huge host country between the oceans. The live performances by Michael Bublé and Alanis Morissette, among others, caused enthusiasm.
In the 45,000-seat stadium in Toronto, the party on Friday evening was significantly smaller than the day before at the spectacle in Mexico City in front of 80,000 enthusiastic fans. The Canadian version of the opening ceremony was nevertheless atmospheric, colorful and with a lot of pathos – performed in different languages.
Larin gives Canada a historic point
A little later, the co-host was able to celebrate on the pitch – even though he hadn’t won. Joker Cyle Larin scored Canada’s first point in the seventh World Cup game in the 1-1 (0-1) draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina with his goal in the 78th minute.
In front of 43,002 spectators, Jovo Lukic gave Bosnia-Herzegovina the lead in the 21st minute before Larin equalized in the final phase. The draw gave both teams in Group B the chance to reach the knockout rounds for the first time. Other opponents in the preliminary round are Qatar and Switzerland, who meet on Saturday.
USA stands by Opening ceremony back
Quite a few expected a spectacle when the USA became the third and final nation to officially open the World Cup. There were a large number of stars at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, but the show was rather modest by US standards.
The highlight was the performance of pop icon Katy Perry, who performed together with the young Norwegian singer Tius Luka surrounded by the flags of the participating nations. US President Donald Trump stayed away from the opening ceremony.
USA beat Paraguay and leaves you wanting more
Things were much more spectacular on the lawn. There the USA showed that they could go far at this World Cup. Even though opening opponents Paraguay seemed quite overwhelmed, especially in the first half, the pace and offensive drive of the World Cup hosts made them want more.
In the end, the USA won 4:1 (3:0). The US boys had never won this much at a World Cup. An own goal from Damián Bobadilla (8th minute) put the US team in the lead. Falorin Balogun extended the lead (31′) and scored a dream goal just before the half-time whistle (45’+5). Mauricio reduced the deficit for Paraguay in the 73rd minute before Giovanni Reyna scored the final score in stoppage time.