David Moller Wolfe, Sasa Kalajdzic and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde made their World Cup debuts recently, as the first round of group games came to a close.
Wolfe claimed an assist as Norway began in style against Iraq, while Sasa Kalajdzic continued his brilliant individual season by starting in Austria’s win, but Bellegarde suffered defeat with Haiti on night one.
All nations at the World Cup have now kicked off their campaigns, and while the Wolves trio featured on matchday one, Santiago Bueno and Jose Sa are still waiting for minutes, having been unused substitutes for Uruguay and Portugal respectively.
David Moller Wolfe | Iraq 1-4 Norway
Norway made up for lost time with a thumping 4-1 win over Iraq in their first World Cup fixture since 1998. Like all of his teammates, Wolfe was debuting on the biggest international stage and played the first 73 minutes at left-back.
He made a telling continuation too, with the Wolves man putting in a devilish delivery which Erling Haaland converted for Norway’s first World Cup goal in 28 years. The Manchester City striker had a second before the break, putting Norway 2-1 up.
They took the game away from Iraq in the second period, adding a further two goals late on thanks to Leo Ostigard and an own goal from Aymen Hussein, who’d momentarily levelled the contest earlier in the day.
That own goal saw Norway leapfrog France to the summit of Group I after one match and they face Senegal next in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Sasa Kalajdzic | Austria 3-1 Jordan
Kalajdzic was too making his World Cup debut and was handed a start as Austria beat Jordan 3-1 – their first win at the tournament since 1990.
Having enjoyed a spectacular season on loan at LASK, winning the league and cup, starting at the World Cup was the next significant moment for the striker, and he saw teammate Romano Schmid put Austria ahead with a fine strike on 21 minutes.
The 28-year-old was withdrawn at the break, and Jordan bagged an equaliser through Ali Olwan, but Austria found a second wind and regained the lead through an own goal courtesy of Yazan Al Arab.
The win was then sealed in injury time thanks to a penalty from Marko Arnautovic, as Austria put themselves in a strong position for qualification into the knockout rounds. They go into an eye-catching battle with Argentina in good form.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde | Haiti 0-1 Scotland
Just nine months after making his international debut for Haiti, Bellegarde was appearing at a World Cup against Scotland over the weekend.
The Wolves man played the full 90 minutes in the midfield as Haiti competed in the World Cup for the first time since 1974, but they couldn’t celebrate it with a positive result.
Aston Villa’s John McGinn scored the only goal in the first half for Scotland, and despite pressure after the break, Haiti couldn’t force an equaliser. Next, they face Brazil in Philadelphia.
Santiago Bueno | Saudi Arabia 1-1 Uruguay
Bueno’s wait for a World Cup appearance goes on after he was an unused substitute in Uruguay’s 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia.
The South American’s looked in danger of an upset too, after Abdulelah al Amri’s first half opener for Saudi Arabia, however Maxi Araujo spared their blushes with an equaliser ten minutes from time.
Next up, Uruguay face Cape Verde, who shocked Spain with a goalless draw on Monday, before finishing the group against the European champions the next weekend.
Jose Sa | Portugal 1-1 DR Congo
Goalkeeper Sa had to make do with a place on the bench as Portugal drew their opening game in North America.
Roberto Martinez’s side had made the perfect start, taking the lead after just six minutes thanks to Joao Neves, who benefitted from an assist from former Wolves winger Pedro Neto.
However, Yoane Wissa levelled for DR Congo in first half stoppage time and neither side could find a winner after the break, meaning the points were shared. Uzbekistan are up next for Portugal, who conclude their group stage against Colombia.
Coming up…
The second round of group fixtures are now upon us, and Ladislav Krejci is up first from the Wolves contingent, as the Czech Republic face South Africa on Thursday. In the early hours of Friday Raul Jimenez and Hee Chan Hwang are up next, as Mexico meet South Korea. Into Saturday, and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Haiti meet with Brazil.
On Sunday it’s Uruguay against Cape Verde and Santiago Bueno will hope for his opportunity, while the following day it’s Sasa Kalajdzic’s turn when Austria meet with Argentina. Then, on Tuesday David Moller Wolfe and Norway do battle with Senegal and Jose Sa’s Portugal take on Uzbekistan.
