Argentina's Lionel Messi has made an emphatic start to the World Cup, scoring a hat-trick in their 3-0 victory over Algeria. This achievement sees the 38-year-old equal Miroslav Klose's long-standing record of 16 goals in World Cup tournaments, setting a high bar for other contenders.
Closer to home, England are set to kick off their own World Cup journey this evening with a challenging fixture against Croatia. The Three Lions, managed by Thomas Tuchel, will be hoping to make a strong start as they aim to end the nation's 60-year wait for a major international trophy. The match is scheduled for 9pm BST at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
England's preparations have, however, been hit by an early injury setback. Defender Tino Livramento has been ruled out of the entire tournament due to a calf problem. In a somewhat surprising move, Tuchel has called up Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah as a replacement, opting for him over Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold. Chalobah is not expected to feature against Croatia but will be available for subsequent group stage matches against Ghana and Panama.
Elsewhere in the tournament, Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey will miss his country's opener against Panama after their appeal regarding his entry into Canada was rejected. Meanwhile, France secured a victory against Senegal, with Kylian Mbappé scoring a double to become France's all-time record goalscorer. The match also saw the tournament's first significant VAR controversy when a potential penalty for Mbappé was initially given as a corner, then a goal-kick, after a pitchside review by Iranian-Australian referee Alireza Faghani, who concluded the attacker initiated the contact.
England's captain and Golden Boot hopeful, Harry Kane, will be looking to emulate Messi's goalscoring prowess as he leads his team out tonight. The match will be broadcast free-to-air for UK viewers on ITV 1 and ITV X, with coverage commencing at 8pm BST.