The Japan Times - What we learned after the first round of World Cup games

- Messi's still got it -

Lionel Messi's World Cup odyssey appeared to reach its perfect climax in Qatar four years ago when he lifted the trophy. Or so we thought.

As his 39th birthday approaches, the Argentina captain could not resist one last crack at football's biggest prize and he produced a memorable hat-trick in Kansas City.

Messi's goals against Algeria -- two thunderous strikes and a poacher's finish -- took him level with Miroslav Klose's all-time World Cup record of 16 goals.

France forward Kylian Mbappe is two goals behind.

"In the end, it's just a statistic and nothing more," a delighted Messi said.

No set of numbers can adequately sum up Messi's genius, but they help tell the story of a man who continues to dazzle on the global stage.

Against Austria on Monday, Messi has the chance to claim the record outright, further strengthening his case as the greatest player the game has ever seen.

- Toothless Ronaldo -

Cristiano Ronaldo took centre stage in Portugal's opening match against the Democratic Republic of Congo after three of football's biggest stars lit up the first round of matches.

Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland both scored twice as the race for the Golden Boot got off to a flying start, while Lionel Messi outshone them all with a hat-trick.

Saudi-based Ronaldo, however, was largely a bystander in the first match of his sixth World Cup as Portugal laboured to a 1-1 draw in Houston.

The 41-year-old's 25 touches were his fewest in a game at a major tournament for Portugal when playing the full match.

And Ronaldo, who is closing in on 1,000 career goals for club and country, has now gone 10 consecutive games at major tournaments without finding the net.

Coach Roberto Martinez faces an unenviable decision over whether to drop a player who has enjoyed one of the most remarkable careers in the history of the game.

- Cape Verde make case for 48-team tournament -

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha breaking down in tears as he was embraced by his team-mates was one of the defining images of the opening round as the archipelago of just over 500,000 people shut down European champions Spain in a goalless draw.

La Roja were expected to stroll to victory in Atlanta but came up against the inspired 40-year-old keeper and a nation determined to make a mark on their World Cup debut.

In doing so Cape Verde also landed a blow to critics of the expanded 48-team tournament, including UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin who claimed the format would lead to "completely uninteresting" matches.

Vozinha's heroics made him an instant social media sensation.

From having 50,000 Instagram followers before the match, he now has nearly 13 million, more than NFL icon Patrick Mahomes and NBA star Victor Wembanyama.

- Full stadiums despite costly tickets -

The sight of Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, which hosted the Super Bowl this year, packed to near-capacity for the meeting of Austria and Jordan on Tuesday -- perhaps not the most glamorous fixture -- proved that high ticket prices are not putting off spectators at this World Cup.

FIFA said the official attendance of 68,527 was part of the total 281,223 fans who passed through the turnstiles on Tuesday, surpassing the previous World Cup record for a single day of 277,070, established on June 28, 1994.

Referees rein in the red cards

Only four red cards were shown at each of the last two World Cups, in 2018 and 2022, in a notable decrease from previous tournaments.

It looked like we might be on course for a free-for-all flurry of sendings-off this time when three players were dismissed in the opening game as 10-man co-hosts Mexico beat nine-man South Africa 2-0.

But it appears that performance from Brazilian official Wilton Sampaio has led to FIFA encouraging referees to be more prudent about reaching for the red.

Not a single player was sent off in the next 23 games.

S.Yamamoto--JT