World Cup: England 2 – 1 Tunisia, Belgium 3 – 0 Panama, Sweden 1 – 0 South Korea

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England captain Harry Kane scored twice including a stoppage-time winner as he led his side to a last-gasp 2-1 win over Tunisia in their opening World Cup match on Monday.
Kane stooped at the far post to turn in a header in the 91st minute just when it looked like England were going to extend their disappointing run in World Cup tournaments.
Kane had put England ahead in the 11th minute of the Group G game when Tunisia keeper Mouez Hassen could only palm a strong header by John Stones on to the foot of the striker.
England promised to launch their campaign with attacking football and they tore into Tunisia before and after Kane’s opener, creating a string of chances only to be let down by a lack of composure in front of goal.
They paid the price when the North Africans were awarded a penalty before the break.
England defender Kyle Walker swung an arm behind him and caught Fakhreddine Ben Youssef in the face and Colombia referee Wilmar Roldan pointed to the spot.
Ferjani Sassi, after appearing to whisper a prayer to himself, scored low to the right of England keeper Jordan Pickford to equalise.
belgium
In another match, Romelu Lukaku netted a brace as a much-improved second-half performance gave Belgium an ultimately comfortable 3-0 victory over tournament debutants, Panama, in their World Cup opener in Sochi on Monday.
A moment of inspiration from Dries Mertens set the Belgians on their way two minutes after the break, his volley breaking the deadlock after a rather flat first period.
Lukaku then converted assists from Kevin De Bruyne and captain Eden Hazard to secure victory in this Group G clash, with the Central Americans succumbing to a defeat in their first-ever match at the finals.
Group rivals England will look to respond to Belgium’s win when they kick off their campaign against Tunisia but this was not entirely the statement of intent that Roberto Martinez’s side would have been hoping to make.
A victory will do for a team who are, on paper at least, good enough to go far in Russia, especially after heavyweights Germany, Brazil and Argentina all slipped up over the weekend.
sweden
Sweden got the break it needed from the video review system, and team captain Andreas Granqvist didn’t waste the chance.
Granqvist slid his penalty kick into the bottom right corner of the net in the 65th minute to give Sweden a 1-0 victory over South Korea on Monday at the World Cup.
“I was calm. I waited for the goalie and then I put it in the corner,” Granqvist said. “We got the penalty, we scored, and then it was just a fight to the end.”
The Swedes were awarded the penalty after referee Joel Aguilar consulted a video screen on the sideline following an appeal by the Swedish players. Aguilar had originally waved play on after South Korea substitute Kim Min-woo collided with Viktor Claesson in the area. But he changed his mind after taking another look, deciding Kim had tripped Claesson as he tried to clear the ball in a sliding tackle.
It was the third penalty to be awarded because of a video review at this year’s World Cup. France and Peru have also benefitted from the technology, though the Peruvians missed their penalty kick.
Sweden had been the better team for much of the game — and finished with 15 attempts on goal to South Korea’s five — but couldn’t beat goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo until the penalty.
Sweden was making its return to the World Cup for the first time in 12 years. It is now tied for first place in Group F with Mexico, which beat Germany 1-0. The Swedes will next face the Germans on Saturday, while South Korea plays Mexico on the same day.
Before Granqvist’s penalty, Sweden showed most of the attacking intent at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.
Marcus Berg had the best chance of the first half when he was put clear on goal in the 21st minute and had his close-range shot blocked by the right leg of Jo, South Korea’s third-choice goalkeeper.
Jo was surprisingly made a starter by coach Shin Tae-yong, who also gambled on a three-man attack of Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan and 6-foot-6 striker Kim Shin-wook.
South Korea, which has won only two World Cup matches since its incredible run to the semifinals in 2002, had a chance to level in injury time but Hwang Hee-chan put a header wide from in front of goal.

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