The World Cup’s expanded 48-team format was widely criticised as a recipe for mismatches and meaningless group-stage games, but the opening round of fixtures has instead offered a compelling counterargument: the gap between football’s aristocracy and its aspiring challengers appears smaller than ever.
European champions Spain were held to a scoreless draw by World Cup debutants Cape Verde, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal were forced to settle for a point against the
