Stars of the Opening Round: Performances That Turned Heads

As the first round of group games draws to a close, these are the players who stuck out to me.

Christian Pulisic

Though he only played 45 minutes, Pulisic was the best player on the field in the USA's opening win against Paraguay. Every time he received the ball on the left wing he beat his man — he wasn't dispossessed once and created two big chances. His evening was cut short, likely as a precaution, but make no mistake: if the US want to make a deep run in this tournament, they need him fit and firing.

Yan Diomande

The Ivorian winger was fantastic in his side's opening win against Ecuador. He created the most chances in the game with five and registered 12 touches in the opposition box. Honestly, Ivory Coast didn't get him the ball enough — he was an imminent threat every single time he touched it. It's hard to believe he's only 19. With Liverpool and PSG among his reported suitors, where he ends up next will be one of the more interesting transfer stories of the summer.

Vozinha

Now for a player not many — myself included — had heard of before this tournament. Vozinha is the 40-year-old goalkeeper for debutants Cape Verde, a man who has spent his career bouncing around the smaller leagues of Europe. Friday night was by far the biggest of his life, and he rose to it magnificently — making seven saves to help stifle one of the tournament favourites in Spain. This is one of the great things about an expanded World Cup: players coming from nowhere to introduce themselves to the world. Vozinha did exactly that.

Lionel Messi

And now for someone you've definitely heard of. Lionel Messi — arguably the greatest player to ever lace up a pair of boots — put on a masterclass against Algeria, scoring a hat-trick to lift Argentina to a comfortable opening win. Each goal was a statement. The first was a strike from 22 yards, whipped into the right corner. The second was instinctive — first to a rebound, tapped home from close range. The third was pure Messi: the ball bent from the top of the box to the far corner as if guided by hand. Some had questioned whether his level had dropped after his move to MLS, but he put those concerns to bed in emphatic fashion. Same old Messi. The world's biggest stage still suits him just fine.