England opened their FIFA World Cup campaign with an emphatic 4-2 victory over Croatia, with substitute Marcus Rashford among the scorers in an impressive display from Gareth Southgate's side.

Rashford came off the bench to add England's fourth goal, capping a dominant performance in what proved to be a high-scoring opener for the Three Lions.

Ronaldo struggles as Portugal are held

Elsewhere at the tournament, the day's most surprising result saw Portugal held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo. Cristiano Ronaldo failed to make his mark as his teammates delivered — a stark contrast to the superstar performances witnessed just 24 hours earlier.

The Portuguese were unable to find a winner despite sustained pressure, leaving Ronaldo's manager facing questions about when — and whether — to take the veteran forward off.

Messi steals the show amid star-studded day

On a day when Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland both made strong starts to the World Cup, it was Lionel Messi who commanded the headlines. Argentina cruised past Algeria 3-0, with Messi producing what many described as a masterclass — further extending his extraordinary legacy at the tournament.

Other group-stage results

Austria defeated Jordan 3-1, while Ghana and Panama were still in action at the time of reporting. Further fixtures — including Uzbekistan vs Colombia, Czech Republic vs South Africa, Switzerland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada vs Qatar, and Mexico vs South Korea — were also scheduled for the day.