Sports

AMMAN — Motorsport fans are in for a real treat when a spectacular weekend of thrills and spills is being organised by Jordan Motorsport, according to the Jordan Motorsport Media Service. 

Taking place at the Exhibition Grounds, near the former Dunes Club on Airport Road, a double dose of National Championship action will be held back-to-back with a feast of family oriented festivities taking place on the side lines to make it a weekend to remember.

The fun will get under way on Thursday when the fourth round of the 2018 Jordan Drift Championship will be held, and on Friday at the same venue, the third round of the gripping Jordan Speed Test Championship will delight the crowds.

Thursday’s Drifting promises to be an edge-of-the-seat affair with Mohammad Al Foqahaa hoping to keep hold of his lead in the championship with just one round remaining after this weekend. The event welcomes a field of 35 drivers including some from Egypt and Palestine.

The following day’s Speed Test action is expected to welcome up to 50 drivers, including championship leader, Husam Salem, and round two winner Mohammed Tayseer.

Brazil may have been one of the big disappointments so far at the Russia World Cup, but the pressure is on its opponents Serbia in the final Group E match in Moscow on Wednesday.

Brazil, whose only defeats by the Balkan side came against the old Yugoslavia in 1930 and 1934, needs just a draw to secure qualification for the last 16.

For Serbia, which will want to be masters of its own fate, a win would guarantee the progress, although a draw could see it through if Switzerland is beaten by Costa Rica by more than one goal in the other group game.

Brazil come into the game under fire at home after poor performances in their first two games.

They were subdued in their 1-1 draw against Switzerland and had to wait until injury time to finally secure the goals and the win against a limited Costa Rica side.

Full back Fagner believes the pressure is a result of their own spectacular showing leading up to the tournament, a period in which they lost only one match in 21, scoring 47 goals and conceding just five.

“I believe that because of all we did in the qualifiers and friendlies there is a huge expectation that we win our games,” Fagner told reporters at Brazil’s training camp. 

“Our opponents prepare well to neutralise us, but I think as games go on we will create chances either with plays from the professor [coach Tite] or through our own improvisations. Each result and win generates more confidence.”

Brazil is expected to be unchanged from the side that beat Costa Rica, although the biggest opponent may be themselves.

The five-times World Cup winners have been criticised at home with striker Neymar bearing the brunt of the opprobrium.

The most expensive player in the world and a constant presence on billboards, television and social media, Neymar has not lived up to the hype and broke down in tears after the last-gasp win over Costa Rica.

Fagner brushed off suggestions that the pressure was already having an effect on Tite’s side and said it was a natural reaction to — and maybe even a welcome consequence of — their own high standards.

“We have created an expectation and that leads to pressure. We know we can get better, and that leaves us enthused because we know over the tournament you get better each game,” he said.

Swiss set for ‘friendly’ with soulmates

After winning a politically-charged match against Serbia, Switzerland is unlikely to face the same hostility when it faces already-eliminated Costa Rica in Group E of the World Cup on Wednesday.

Switzerland, needing a draw to reach the last 16 of the tournament, has a number of ethnic Albanians in the squad and they were given a hostile reception by Serbian fans in Friday’s dramatic 2-1 win in Kaliningrad.

Clearly fired up, goalscorers Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri both celebrated with a gesture which appeared to imitate the eagle displayed on Albania’s flag. Both players could be suspended by world governing body FIFA before Wednesday’s match.

Serbia refuses to recognise the independence of its former province Kosovo, whose 1.8 million people are mostly ethnic Albanians. Kosovo broke away from Serbia ten years ago.

There should not be any similar problems against the Central Americans on Wednesday. Although they are more than 9,000km apart and speak different languages and have different cultures, the two small, rugged nations are considered similar in many ways, with Costa Rica often labelled as the Switzerland of Central America.

Both are renowned for political stability, neutrality and tranquillity as well as for natural beauty. The two also enjoy close diplomatic ties.

Along with Jordan, Singapore and Liechtenstein, they are part of a group at the United Nations known as the “Small Five” which, according to the Swiss foreign ministry, advocate “shared values and ideas” including an initiative to reform the UN Security Council and its working methods.

In football terms, there are also similarities, with both countries tending to punch above their weight.

Switzerland and Costa Rica are making their fifth World Cup appearances since 1990, and both got beyond the group stage in 2014.

Both have small domestic competitions with ten teams in Switzerland’s Super League and 12 in Costa Rica’s Primera Division, and both are exporters of players.

Spain snatched a 2-2 draw against Morocco on Monday to qualify for the World Cup last 16 and take top spot in Group B ahead of Portugal on goals scored.

Morocco striker Khalid Boutaib gave the north African side a shock early lead but Isco levelled, blasting high into the net after a layoff from Andres Iniesta.

Morocco, already eliminated, struck again in the 81st minute when substitute Youssef En-Nesyri crashed in a header which looked set to inflict a first defeat on Spain since Euro 2016.

But substitute Iago Aspas levelled in stoppage-time after consultation from the video assistant referee (VAR), putting Spain top ahead of Portugal, who was held to a 1-1 draw by Iran.

Spain will play Russia in the last 16.

Portugal qualifies for last 16

Portugal qualified for the round of 16 at the World Cup despite being held 1-1 by Iran in the World Cup’s Group B on Monday after Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty.

The European champions, needing a draw to qualify, went ahead with a stunning Ricardo Quaresma goal in the 45th minute.

Ronaldo had a chance to extend the lead when he won a penalty in the 51st minute but Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand dived to his left to save his effort from the spot.

Karim Ansarifard equalised with a stoppage time penalty awarded after a video review. However, Portugal clung on to finish second in the group with one goal behind Spain, who drew 2-2 with Morocco, and will meet Uruguay in the last 16.

Uruguay tops Group A

Uruguay comfortably beat World Cup hosts Russia 3-0 on Monday to seal top spot in Group A courtesy of a Luis Suarez free kick, a Denis Cheryshev own goal and a late Edinson Cavani strike.

Russia, who had already qualified along with Uruguay for the last 16 after winning its first two games, played much of the match with 10 men after Igor Smolnikov was sent off for two yellow cards after 36 minutes.

Suarez opened the scoring in the 10th minute with his seventh World Cup goal and Uruguay's lead was doubled in the 23rd minute when Diego Laxalt's shot took a wicked deflection off Cheryshev.

Cavani, Suarez's strike partner, sealed the victory to open his World Cup account with a goal from close range after a corner in the 90th minute. 

Russia battled valiantly and had a penalty appeal turned down after a VAR consultation late in the game, but there was little else to cheer the home fans. 

Salah strike not enough

Saudi Arabia managed its first win at the 2018 World Cup by beating Egypt 2-1 with a last-gasp winner that eclipsed Egyptian talisman Mohamed Salah's 22nd minute goal in Monday's Group A game between the two eliminated teams.

Saudi Arabia finished third in the group standings, scoring its only goals of the tournament and vastly improving from the 5-0 thrashing by hosts Russia in its opening game.

It was a bitter disappointment for the Egyptian side, however, with Liverpool striker Salah unable to prevent three consecutive defeats for his country. Egyptian keeper Essam El Hadary became the oldest player ever to appear at a World Cup at 45 years old.

Saudi Arabia got back in the game with a penalty awarded just before halftime and Salman Al Faraj scored from the spot. It then pulled off a win in the 95th minute thanks to Salem Al Dawsari's angled shot. 

Goals from Yerry Mina, Radamel Falcao and Juan Cuadrado gave Colombia a convincing 3-0 win on Sunday against Poland, which was eliminated from contention at the World Cup before its last Group H match.

Japan and Senegal, who both picked up wins in their first games, drew 2-2 earlier on Sunday and are in a battle with Colombia to qualify for the knockout stage.

Mina headed home from close range in the 40th minute when midfielder Juan Fernando Quintero caught the Poland defence off guard from a short corner with a smart clipped pass to James Rodriguez who whipped it in first time with his left foot.

Quintero's defence-splitting pass then gave captain Falcao, who missed the 2014 tournament due to injury, his first World Cup goal in the 70th minute, while Rodriguez got his second assist five minutes later when he set up Cuadrado to make it 3-0.

Japan play out thriller

Japan twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Senegal in their World Cup Group H encounter on Sunday.

Goals from Senegal captain Sadio Mane and Moussa Wague were matched by strikes from Takashi Inui and Keisuke Honda for the Samurai Blue.

Senegal took the lead in the 11th minute when Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima punched a cross into Mane's leg and the ball bounced back over the line and in, before Inui's curled finish on 34 minutes meant the sides went in level at the break.

Wague's powerful shot into the roof of the net on 64 minutes looked to have secured the points for Senegal, but Japan substitute Honda turned in a brilliant Inui pull-back with 12 minutes remaining to give the Asian side a share of the points.

The draw means both nations go into the final round of matches on four points at the top of the group.

England marches on

Harry Kane struck a hat-trick as England marched into the last 16 of the World Cup after with a record 6-1 win over a woeful Panama in its World Cup Group G match on Sunday.

The result, a record win for England in a World Cup finals match, means England qualified for the knockout stage with a game to spare, along with Belgium which also has six points. Tournament debutants Panama is eliminated along with Tunisia.

England were 5-0 up at halftime after taking full advantage of a poor Panamanian defence. A header from a corner by John Stones, a penalty from Kane and a beautiful strike from the edge of the box by Jesse Lingard set them on their way.

A Stones header from a well-worked free-kick routine and a second Kane penalty gave them a 5-0 lead going into the break.

The England captain, now the tournament's top scorer with five goals, completed his hat-trick when a shot from Ruben Loftus-Cheek deflected in off the Tottenham forward in the 62nd minute.

Kane became just the third England player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup game following Geoff Hurst in the 1966 final and Gary Lineker against Poland in the 1986 tournament.

Panama pulled a goal back in the 78th minute through Felipe Baloy — the Central American nation's first goal at a World Cup.

England needs to be more clinical if it is to take care of Panama in its second game in Group G and put themselves on the brink of qualification to the knockout stage.

If England beats Panama and Belgium beats or draw with Tunisia then England is through to the last 16.

Gareth Southgate’s side beat Tunisia 2-1 in its opening game but missed a series of first-half chances and needed a stoppage time winner from captain Harry Kane to secure the three points.

Defender John Stones says England has done their homework on Panama and says it is clear where the biggest area for improvement needs to be.

“Being more clinical,” he told reporters, “I think we know how the games are going to play out now and who we are going to play,” he said.

What England has learnt from its study of the Central American side, playing in its first World Cup, is that “Los Canaleros” will aim to play a high-paced, physical game.

Southgate has prided himself on building a team that enjoy pass and movement football. Stones says they will not change that approach because of their opponents.

“It is something we have spoken about and we are going to stick to our game plan. We’re going to cause them as many threats as we can using our own styles of play,” he said.

“That’s credit to the manager and the players we have got because a lot of the players at their clubs never change their style of play in difficult situations, they keep working at it and grind down teams,” he added.

Whoever Southgate opts for can expect a physical battle with Panama’s strapping central defender Roman Torres.

“Football is like that — you always have to impose yourself, you have to mark out your territory,” said the Seattle Sounders defender.

“England is a bit more direct than Belgium. It tries to make use of the pace they have. We’ll need to be compact and limit its space.”

Handed a winning start for the first time in a major tournament for 12 years by captain Harry Kane’s injury-time winner against Tunisia, England can look forward to Sunday’s meeting with Panama with a rare sense of World Cup calm.

A two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner, Kane banished any remaining doubts over his ability to perform on the biggest stage for his country with the first double by an English player at the World Cup since Gary Lineker in 1990.

But Kane’s heroics in Volgograd papered over the cracks of his team-mates’ failure to find the net with a host of simple first-half chances.

Raheem Sterling and Jesse Lingard were particularly culpable and while Kane saved an inquest into England’s profligacy and ponderous second-half performance, Sterling’s place against Panama may now be in jeopardy.

The first media storm of a hitherto relaxed campaign for the Three Lions was brewing on Friday after Gareth Southgate’s planned team was inadvertently revealed when assistant manager Steve Holland’s notes were photographed at training on Thursday.

According to the notes, Marcus Rashford will replace Sterling with Ruben Loftus-Cheek stepping in for Dele Alli, who suffered a thigh injury against Tunisia.

Southgate criticised the media for giving England’s opponents an upper hand.

“If we were to give the opposition the opportunity of having our team it’s a disadvantage to us,” said Southgate.

“So of course our media has to decide if they want to help the team or not.”

In contrast to his 23-goal season at club level for Premier League champions Manchester City, Sterling now has not scored in his last 21 internationals.

However, Rashford refuted suggestions England are too dependent on Kane for goals.

“I don’t think that’s happening in this group,” said the Manchester United striker, who admitted to being an admirer of Kane’s ability to be in the right place at the right time.

“He gets himself in great positions. If we can find him, we will, and, more often than not, he’s going to score.”

At 20, Rashford is just one of a host of exciting young English talents as Southgate took the third youngest squad in the tournament to Russia.

And Holland believes a more clinical touch in front of goal will come with experience.

“It’s psychological, it’s about pushing the players to be match-winners but it is also a process,” he said. “It might just take the time that it takes.

“If you imagine these guys in a couple of years, and I hope I’m still around then, once they’ve become more seasoned at this level, that could be really exciting. It already is now.”

Brazil takes on Costa Rica on Friday needing a win to avoid equalling its worst ever World Cup run, but the focus of its concern is once again not on the team but on one individual — Neymar.

The Paris St Germain player loves the limelight but the attention ahead of Friday’s game in St Petersburg has come for all the wrong reasons.

Neymar was criticised for his performance in Brazil’s 1-1 draw with Switzerland in its opener last weekend. 

He was hunted down mercilessly by the Swiss, drawing ten of Brazil’s 19 fouls, as many as some entire teams.

But he was also below par and showed little sign of the form that made him the world’s most expensive footballer when Paris St Germain signed him from Barcelona last August.

Worse, many fans thought he was playing for himself rather than his country.

“Whenever the ball came to him he slowed the game down, irrespective of whether it was the right thing to do or not,” former France defender Marcel Desailly wrote in The Guardian.

“Because he knows he has the talent to change games, you get the impression Neymar wants to be the one to do that something special. But he has to understand that it’s not like that at international level. He might be the greatest player, but you have to think of the collective.”

Neymar limped out of Tuesday’s training session with a sore ankle, but he is expected to be fit for what could be Brazil’s fourth World Cup match without a win, an unwanted streak that would equal its poorest such run ever, recorded in 1974-1978.

Their opponents in St Petersburg are also desperate for points after they lost their opener to Serbia.

Quarter-finalists four years ago, Costa Rica has lost seven of its last nine matches and scored only five goals in the process. 

That form suggests the five-times world champions should secure the points.

Brazil, though, are not taking anything for granted — with or without Neymar’s undeniable brilliance.

“It is going to be a difficult game as are all games in the World Cup,” said Philippe Coutinho. “They are a good team. We saw the game against Serbia, and it was only decided through a dead ball situation.”

“This is another opportunity for us. We need to do it, we are all focused. We are mentally strong to play a great game.”

Family affair

Celso Borges will follow in his father’s footsteps on Friday when he plays for Costa Rica against Brazil as the family’s World Cup odyssey against the five-time champions continues. 

Borges’ father, Alexandre Guimares, grew up in Brazil until he moved to Costa Rica with his parents when he was young. He would go on to both play for and manage the “Ticos” against Brazil at the World Cup. 

Now, 28 years after his father faced Brazil as a player at Italia 90, it is Celso’s turn to put aside his strong family links to the South Americans in a vital World Cup game.

“I can’t deny it, there is a connection, of course — my connection to Brazil is maybe not as strong as my father’s, but some part of me still feels like it belongs there,” Borges told Reuters in an interview. 

“I’m 100 per cent Costa Rican and I would choose Costa Rica every time, but I cannot deny this family connection. It’s just a very special feeling.” 

The feelings of his father, who managed Costa Rica in a 5-2 loss to Brazil at the 2002 World Cup, may be slightly more mixed when his two nations face off on Friday, however. 

“Of course my father feels Costa Rican, he left Brazil when he was 12, but he has that Brazilian part that is very intense in him,” Borges said. 

“Whenever you play Brazil, in any circumstance, it’s always something special, it’s always something different. 

“It’s the country with the most World Cups, so it’s very different, but it’s still the game, it’s still enjoyable and it’s still fun.” 

Not only has the 30-year-old’s international career taken him in his father’s footsteps, during the last World Cup in Brazil it also took him to Recife, where his father’s parents came from. 

“It was crazy, because that was where we beat Italy and ended up qualifying for the quarter-finals,” Borges recalls. 

That 2014 side hit the headlines by defeating Uruguay and Italy and drawing with England to top its group, before beating Greece on penalties and losing a quarter-final shoot-out to The Netherlands. 

In Russia, however, Costa Rica are already on the back foot having lost to Serbia in their opening game. 

“I don’t think it was clear that any team deserved to win that game, but sometimes football is very complex — there’s a very thin line between winning and losing,” Borges said. 

The Costa Ricans would not fall into the trap of focusing all their defensive efforts on Neymar, the midfielder said. 

“If you concentrate too much on one guy, they can just put on another in attack, so you just have to be very organised, have good communication and marking. You can have everything planned but with this kind of player, it’s tough.”

Even with a decent result on Friday Costa Rica face an uphill task in its final group game against a Swiss side that drew 1-1 with Brazil in their Group E opener, but Borges said the squad could still advance to the knockout rounds. 

“We Costa Ricans are capable of great things when we join together and stay tight. I always think there’s a possibility,” he said. 

Spain squeezed 1-0 past dogged Iran in their World Cup Group B encounter on Wednesday thanks to a fortuitous goal from Diego Costa, but the Europeans suffered a string of second-half scares.

The veteran forward notched his third goal in two games when Ramin Rezaeian's attempted clearance bounced off the Spaniard's leg and into the net in the 54th minute.

Costa, who grabbed a brace in the 3-3 draw against Portugal, was in the right spot at the right time, his lucky deflection leaving the masses of Iran fans at Kazan Arena groaning in disappointment.

Though Spain had besieged the Iranian goal in the first half, they were on the back foot for parts of the second, with Karim Ansarifard rifling into the side netting, and Saeid Ezatolahi having a goal ruled out for offside by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.

The result left Spain joint top of their group with Portugal on four points, but Iran close behind on three going into the third and final set of games. After two defeats, Morocco are out.

After a match played out to a deafening blare from vuvuzela horns from a huge army of Iranian fans, Spain will feel relieved to have emerged with maximum points.

Iran were brilliant in defence for much of the night but also made a number of telling incursions.

Saudi Arabia out

Luis Suarez marked his 100th international cap by sending Uruguay into the last 16 of the World Cup as the striker benefited from some poor goalkeeping to eliminate Saudi Arabia with a 1-0 win on Wednesday.

Suarez tapped in midway through the first half after keeper Mohammed Al Owais failed to grab the ball on a corner. The goal put Uruguay second in Group A with a maximum six points behind hosts Russia.

Saudi Arabia, who have not won a World Cup game since their debut in 1994, have zero points, just like Egypt, who lost 3-1 to Russia on Tuesday.

Depending on the result of their last group game against Russia, Uruguay will take on either Spain, Portugal or Iran, who are still on course in Group B for a place in the quarter-finals.

Suarez's goal was by no means pretty, but it did the trick.

At least Suarez, who missed three sitters in Uruguay's 1-0 opening win against Egypt, was his vintage efficient self with his 52nd international goal although he will not have dismissed fears he was not 100 per cent fit.

Saudi Arabia, who suffered a minor scare when an engine on their plane caught fire before landing on Rostov-on-Don on Monday, instead have not found the back of the net in their last four World Cup outings.

The stadium burst into life in the 23rd minute however, when an unmarked Suarez coolly tapped into an empty net from a corner kick after keeper Owais came out but misjudged his jump and couldn't reach the ball.

Suarez has now scored in three consecutive World Cups.

Morocco's hopes end

Cristiano Ronaldo powered-home a fourth-minute header to give Portugal a 1-0 World Cup victory over Morocco that took them top of Group B on Wednesday and meant the unlucky North African side become the first to be eliminated from the tournament.

Ronaldo's fourth goal of Russia 2018, following his hat-trick in the 3-3 draw with Spain, took the European champions to four points.

Morocco, who had a real go at the Luzhniki Stadium but failed to convert their chances, are pointless having also lost 1-0 to Iran and cannot progress to the second round.

Despite their battling display, Morocco will rue the unforgivable defending that made all their subsequent good work irrelevant.

They qualified for the finals without conceding a goal in six matches yet somehow opted against marking the most dangerous attacker at the tournament in the six yard box when Joao Moutinho swung in a cross from a short corner and Ronaldo duly buried the header.

It was his 85th international goal, taking him beyond Hungarian Ferenc Puskas's European record, with only Iran's Ali Daei ahead of him on 109.

Portugal held out and go on to complete their first-round against Iran while Morocco face Spain, both on June 25.

World Cup hosts Russia kept up their free-scoring ways to move to the brink of a second round place with a 3-1 beat over Egypt in their Group A match at the Saint Petersburg Stadium on Tuesday.

Russia’s place in the knockout stages will be secured on Wednesday if Uruguay avoid defeat against Saudi Arabia in the next Group A game.

Ahmed Fathi put the ball into his own net two minutes after halftime, followed by two goals in a three minute spell from Denis Cheryshev and Artem Dzyuba around the hour mark as Russia took their tournament goal tally to eight in two games.

Egyptian talisman Mohamed Salah, playing for the first time since injuring his shoulder in last month’s Champions League final, pulled one back from a 73rd minute penalty, awarded after a review by the video assistant referee.

Senegal became the first African team to win a match at the 2018 World Cup on Tuesday when they beat Poland 2-1, helped by two shocking errors in the European side’s defence.

Poland defender Thiago Cionek stuck out a leg and deflected Idrissa Gueye’s wayward shot into the net in the 37th minute before goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny rushed recklessly out of his area and allowed M’Baye Niang to nip in and score into an empty net on the hour.

Szczesny may have been caught out because Niang was having treatment on the touchline and reentered the pitch as the ball was played backwards to the Poland goalkeeper by Grzegorz Krychowiak.

Krychowiak headed Poland’s goal in the 86th minute.

The win took Senegal top of Group H with three points, along with Japan who also beat Colombia by the same score on Tuesday. Colombia and Poland are both without a point.

It was a relief for Africa after Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia all lost their opening games.

Poland’s record scorer Robert Lewandowski got little change out of a well-drilled Senegal defence, led by Kalidou Koulibaly, and they sorely missed key defender Kamil Glik, still recovering from a training injury sustained two weeks ago.

“I’m satisfied with my players, really proud of them. I think they arrived with a lot of determination, they have worked hard,” said Senegal coach Aliou Cisse. “I think it is really a generation that deserves a lot of credit and respect.”

The first half hour was a sorry affair strewn with misplaced passes from both sides and neither of the danger men, Lewandowski and Senegal’s Sadio Mane, saw much of the ball.

The first shot on target produced the first goal as Senegal went ahead in the 37th minute.

Niang won a challenge with Lukasz Piszczek, burst down the left and found Mane who in turn slipped the ball to Gueye.

The midfielder’s shot appeared to be going wide until the hapless Cionek stuck out a leg and deflected it past Szczesny.

Lewandowski sprang into life five minutes after halftime as he won possession, burst clear and was up-ended by Salif Sane. He took the free kick himself and although he managed Poland’s first shot on target, it was saved by Khadim N’Diaye.

Poland appeared to be coming back into the game until the most embarrassing moment of the World Cup so far.

Krychowiak sent a long ball back from deep inside the Senegal half, Szczesny rushed out of his area to collect the pass but Niang stole in to score to Polish disbelief.

Krychowiak partially made amends with his goal but it was too late for the disappointing Poles.

“Second goal — I do not know,” said Poland defender Michal Pazdan. “The player ran in, he was behind the side line of the pitch. There are no such situations on a daily basis.

“But it does not change the fact that we lacked concentration at the beginning of the second half, because it seems that we could have played a different game, if they hadn’t scored the second.”

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, Russia — Sweden won an opening World Cup game for the first time since 1958 with a narrow 1-0 victory over South Korea, but they will need to find their shooting boots if they are to match their two other, trickier opponents in Group F.

After dominating the game but missing a string of chances, the Swedes won a 65th-minute penalty when Kim Min-woo brought down Viktor Claesson in the box. Salvadoran referee Joel Aguilar initially waved the Swedes away, before being called to consult the Video Assistant Referee system.

In the second VAR-awarded penalty of the World Cup, Sweden's 33-year-old captain Andreas Granqvist swept the ball low and left of impressive goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo.

"The VAR took a while but we are very pleased they had it ... I was pretty sure," Granqvist said of the wait.

The result brought wild celebrations from hordes of yellow-clad Swedish fans, fearful their team would draw another blank after failing to score in their last three games.

Sweden had not won an opening World Cup game since 1958, when they were the hosts and eventual runners-up.

The Asians began the game brighter, harrying for the first 15 minutes against an initially sluggish-looking Sweden.

But the Scandinavians quickly found their poise, coping comfortably with Korea's attacks despite the absence of defender Victor Lindelof through illness.

Swedish coach Janne Andersson said the penalty was "crystal-clear", adding: "I felt the wait for VAR was unnecessary".

Son versus Forsberg

In a game short on finesse, several of Sweden's best chances fell to Marcus Berg, who had one close-range side-foot shot spectacularly saved by Cho off his knee in the 21st minute.

"We played the match the way we intended, but I'm a little unhappy with the chances we didn't put away," added Andersson.

Both teams' star players provided their creative drive, Son Heung-min trying to drive Korea forward from the left flank but again failing to have the same impact on the international stage as he does in the Premier League.

For Sweden, the pacy Emil Forsberg constantly fed the frontmen, and also curled a shot over from outside the box.

Korea's best chances fell to Koo Ja-cheol, who headed just wide in the second half and Hwang Hee-chan who saw his stoppage-time header also just miss during a late, desperate siege.

The Asians' coach Shin Tae-yong had no complaints about the penalty, and praised his team's battle with Sweden for aerial superiority. "It was unfortunate we lost," he lamented, saying he was now focused on the next game against "formidable" Mexico, who stunned world champions Germany 1-0 in the other Group F opener.

Though not the most attractive of games, there was a terrific atmosphere in the 42,300-strong crowd at the blue-and-white Nizhny Novgorod stadium next to a cathedral at the confluence of the Volga and Oka rivers.

The Swedes, many in de rigueur Viking helmets, easily outnumbered and out-sang their red-clad rivals in the avant-garde, sun-kissed dome built to evoke wind and water.

Sweden go into their game against Germany with confidence. "If we win against Germany, we are through. The pressure is on them," said the ebullient Granqvist.

Few will be giving a chance of progressing to Korea, who have now only won one of their last 10 World Cup games.

A stunning volley from Dries Mertens and a Romelu Lukaku double broke the resistance of a brave Panama side on their World Cup debut as Belgium cruised to a 3-0 win in their opening Group G game in Sochi.

Mertens hammered home a superb volley two minutes into the second half, sending the ball arcing over Jaime Penedo after Panama struggled to clear a cross.

Lukaku’s hard work up front was rewarded when the Manchester United striker headed home Kevin De Bruyne’s brilliant pass off the outside off his foot to make it 2-0 in the 69th minute and the big striker latched on to an Eden Hazard pass to complete the scoring with a neat finish.

England beat Tunisia 2-1 in the day’s late match.