This One Stat Highlights How Strange The First Full Day Of The World Cup Was

This Stat Highlights How Strange The First Day Of The World Cup Was

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After the opening match between Ecuador and Qatar on Sunday, the 2022 World Cup began in earnest on Monday as there were three matches throughout the day: England vs. Iran, Netherlands vs. Senegal, and the United States vs. Wales.

Those three games, as it turns out, featured quite the statistical anomalies, as the four single halves with the most stoppage time on record (since 1966) in a single World Cup match all happened today, according to Opta Joe.

In the England match, the Three Lions trounced Iran by a final score of 6-2. In the Netherlands-Senegal match, the Dutch were able to secure a 2-0 victory. As for the United States Men’s National Team, they played to a disappointing 1-1 draw against Gareth Bale and Wales in their opening match. Tim Weah of Lille scored the opening goal for the U.S. in the first half while former Real Madrid star Gareth Bale tied the game with a penalty kick with about 10 minutes to play.

While the USMNT’s result against Wales is far from ideal, it also isn’t catastrophic. Heading into Friday’s match against England, the United States needs to be in the mindset of getting at least a point from the match, otherwise, their prospects of advancing to the knockout stages will be quite precarious.

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Eric Italiano is a NYC-based writer who spearheads BroBible's Pop Culture and Entertainment content. He covers topics such as Movies, TV, and Video Games, while interviewing actors, directors, and writers.