The third day of action at the World Cup concluded with some exciting matches.
Haiti v Scotland
Scotland won their first Group C match 1–0 against Haiti. John McGinn scored the winning goal for the Brave Hearts in the 28th minute.
Both nations celebrated their return to the World Cup stage after many years. Scotland last took part in 1998 in France, whilst Haiti’s players last featured in the World Cup even further back – in 1974 in Germany.
The “Tartan Army” will play their next match against Morocco in Boston on Saturday, whilst Haiti will face Brazil in Philadelphia a few hours later.
Australia – Turkey
The opening match of Group D in the 2026 World Cup on 14 June produced a rather unexpected result. At BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, Australia defeated Turkey 2–0.
Connor Metcalf and Nestori Irancunda scored for the ‘Kangaroos’. Ahead of the game, Turkey were considered favourites, so for many this result came as a real surprise.
The teams are in the same group as the USA and Paraguay. After the first round of matches, the Americans and Australians lead the group. They each have three points, whilst the Turks and Paraguayans have zero points.
Germany – Curaçao
The first-ever meeting between Germany and Curaçao did not promise to be anything spectacular. Nevertheless, the team from the Caribbean island managed to score one goal.
Goalscorers: Nmecha F., Comencía; Schlotterbeck; Havertz; Musiala; Braun; Undav; Havertz.
With this victory, the ‘Bundesmaschine’ confirmed their intention to win the group.
Netherlands – Japan
The “Oranje” were considered favourites, but they still failed to secure a result. The match at AT&T Stadium in Arlington ended 2–2.
Virgil van Dijk opened the scoring in the 51st minute. The Japanese then equalised in the 57th minute. Keito Nakamura finished well after receiving a pass.
Crisencio Summerville scored the Dutch side’s second goal in the 64th minute. Ronald Koeman’s side were unable to hold on to their lead, as Daichi Kamada equalised in the 89th minute.
Sweden – Tunisia
The Swedish national team demonstrated incredible firepower, scoring five unanswered goals against Tunisia and settling the outcome of the match well before full-time. This victory allowed Sweden to take top spot in Group F after the first round of matches.
Goalscorers: Y. Ayari 7, 90+6, Isak 30, Djokeres 59, Svanberg 85 – Rekik 43
Côte d’Ivoire – Ecuador
The African side could hardly be called the favourites for the match. Both teams were capable of winning, and the goalless draw reflected that. The scoreline remained 0–0 until the 90th minute, when Diallo scored the decisive goal.
