Dustin Johnson, who ascended to the top of the world rankings with his PGA TOUR victory at the FedEx St. Jude Classic last week, shot a steady, 1-under 69 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. He joined Ian Poulter, Russell Henley and Scott Piercy in a four-way tie for the lead after the first round.

South Korea’s An, who lost in a playoff at the Memorial Tournament two weeks ago, ground out a 71 to emerge as the leading Asian golfer in T6 position.

The 26-year-old went out with two bogeys on his outward nine from 10 but fought back with birdies on one and four against another dropped shot on seven to enjoy his best position after day one in what is his fifth start at the U.S. Open. Countryman Si Woo Kim, the 2017 PLAYERS Champion, shot for a 73 to lie in T19.

Making his debut at the U.S. Open, India’s 21-year-old Shubhankar Sharma produced a battling 74. He turned in one-over with three bogeys against two birdies and dropped three more bogeys coming in to sign off the day in T37. Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama shot a 75 while Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand carded a 76.

Jason Dufner shot a 70 and is alone in fifth place. Tied for sixth at 71 are Matthieu Pavon of France, 2013 U.S. Open champion Justin Rose, Charles Howell III, Charley Hoffman, Sam Burns, former Open Championship winner Henrik Stenson and An.

Johnson, who won the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont, was accurate off the tee, hitting 10 of 14 fairways. He lowered his score to 3-under by holing out from a greenside bunker for a birdie on the par-3 11th, but lost some of the momentum with a pair of bogeys coming home.

“I did a lot of things well,” Johnson said. “I hit a lot of good shots, hit a lot of fairways and had a lot of birdie putts. “

Johnson watched some of the morning round and saw the high scores on TV. He understood it was going to be a grueling afternoon. “You want it to play tough—maybe not quite this tough—but it was a day where you had to play good golf if you wanted to shoot a good score,” Johnson said.

It was believed that the morning wave would have an advantage, but windy conditions quickly dried the course from Wednesday’s rain and made the greens difficult from the onset. Only two players from the morning were able to break par—Piercy and Poulter.

Poulter nearly made a hole-in-one on the 11th on the way to his best opening round in the U.S. Open. “(Thursday) is just a good day,” Poulter said. “And I’ve got three tough days left.”

Piercy didn’t expect to be among the opening-round leaders, either. He walked off the course after four holes of his practice round Wednesday and told his wife that he’d probably be home for the weekend. Then he ordered a pizza and re-evaluated his mental approach to the first round. “You know it’s going to be frustrating, so you’ve got to get the right mindset,” Piercy said. “I think last night was a big regroup for me and today it showed.”

Henley was slowed by a double bogey on No. 10 and finished with a bogey at 18 when he failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker. “I felt really in control of my game,” Henley said. “Off the tee, I felt like I was going to hit it right where I was lined up. Gave myself a chance to have a good round, hit a lot of fairways.”

Defending champion Brooks Koepka shot 75 but wasn’t overly concerned. “I think everybody was just trying to grind it out,” he said. “It’s a U.S. Open. You can shoot, whatever, 5-over today and shoot 1-under tomorrow and be just fine going into the weekend. So, I’m not too concerned.”

The conditions created some high scores. Rory McIlroy shot 80 to match his highest score in a major. Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson shot 77, and Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth shot 78. Jason Day shot 79.

Tiger Woods opened the day with a triple bogey and a bogey. He seemed to settle down until taking back-to-back double bogeys at Nos. 13 and 14, including a four-putt, and finished with a 78.

“It’s tough out there, but I shouldn’t make two doubles and a triple, four-putt,” Woods said. “For most of the day I just didn’t putt well.”

Spain’s World Cup preparations were thrown into turmoil on Wednesday as the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) sacked Lopetegui after Real Madrid confirmed he would take over at the Bernabeu for the next three seasons.

Spain players reportedly resisted his sacking, which came as Spain are due to face European champions Portugal in Sochi on Friday before taking on Iran and Morocco in Group B at the World Cup.

Lopetegui said he wished federation chief Luis Rubiales “had handled things in another way” as he was officially unveiled as Real’s new coach at the club’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

“Yesterday was the saddest day of my life since the death of my mother. But today is the happiest day of my life,” Lopetegui said as he fought back tears.

“We are convinced that we acted in an absolutely honest and clear way.”

Rubiales said the federation was informed of Lopetegui’s move just “five minutes” before Real released its press statement announcing his arrival.

– ‘Misplaced pride’ –

But Real Madrid president Florentino Perez called the Spanish football federation’s reaction to the club’s signing of Lopetegui “disproportionate, unfair and without precedent in the world of football in similar cases”.

Perez also lashed out at what he called “an absurd reaction of misplaced pride” on the part of Rubiales, and said the club had issued the press statement as an “act of transparence” and to avoid the news from leaking out.

The federation named Fernando Hierro, 50, as an emergency replacement at the World Cup despite having only one season’s managerial experience in the Spanish second division with Real Oviedo.

He was popular among the players as the federation’s sporting director between 2007 and 2011, and returned to that role in November of last year.

There were fears Lopetegui’s appointment by the European champions could open up old divisions between the Real Madrid and Barcelona factions in the Spain World Cup squad.

– ‘Delicate moment’ –

But Spain captain Sergio Ramos said there were no divisions following the decision to let go of Lopetegui, under whom the 2010 World Cup winners had been unbeaten in two years.

“There are no cracks. We are all individuals and we all think differently, but the collective idea is the same — we are here to go for the World Cup,” said Ramos, who will play under Lopetegui at club level next season.

“For me, personally, it was a more delicate moment but I can assure you that these problems provide an opportunity to grow.”

Ramos also urged Spain to put the drama of the past 48 hours behind them as they look to focus on their World Cup opener against Portugal in Sochi on Friday.

“You could not start a World Cup in a worse way,” wrote sports daily Marca.

Top-selling daily newspaper El Pais called Lopetegui’s dismissal “the biggest absurdity in the history of Spanish football” in an article accompanied with a photo of the sacked coach, wearing sunglasses, as he left Russia.

“Vaudeville at the World Cup,” wrote rival daily El Mundo, adding Wednesday was “the darkest day in the history of the Spanish national team”.

Hierro, himself a former Real captain, said the national team did not have time to “feel sorry” for itself.

“The objective is to fight for a World Cup. The players have been working towards this for two years. I’ve told the players that we have a wonderful, exciting challenge and we can’t let this be an excuse to distract us from our dream,” he added.

Hierro and Ramos posed together, smiling for the cameras, at a press conference inside the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi, the venue for the Group B clash between the Iberian neighbours.

Coming into this World Cup, Spain had been seen as one of the outstanding favourites to lift the trophy in Russia after a two-year unbeaten run under Julen Lopetegui.

But Wednesday’s sensational decision by the Spanish Football Federation to sack Lopetegui, in response to the announcement he would take over at Real Madrid after the tournament, has threatened to derail their chances.

Suddenly Hierro — a great former Real and Spain defender but a man with little coaching experience — finds himself in charge of a side eager to show they can still go all the way on Russian soil.

“There is nobody better than Fernando. He was a great player and has known us for a long time,” said Ramos, the Spain captain.

There had been fears that the announcement of Lopetegui’s appointment by Real could open up old divisions between the Madrid and Barcelona factions in the Spain squad.

But Ramos showed an eagerness to move on and focus on the competition, while insisting that this week’s events had not upset any relationships.

“There are no cracks. We are all individuals and we all think differently, but the collective idea is the same — we are here to go for the World Cup,” said Ramos.

“This is special, it is my first World Cup as captain. In football you learn above all during the bad times. What has happened has united us.”

Spain’s defender Gerard Pique (C) takes part in a training session at the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi.

There were plenty of smiles and embraces between the players as they trained on the pitch in the stunning Sochi stadium, situated a stone’s throw from the beach and the Black Sea.

At the same time almost 5,000 kilometres away, Lopetegui was being unveiled as the new Madrid coach.

He described the day he was sacked as “the saddest day of my life since the death of my mother”, and the 51-year-old former goalkeeper will surely find it difficult to watch Friday’s match.

Meanwhile Hierro, whose previous experience as a coach amounts to a season in the Spanish second tier with Oviedo, admitted he will not be making sweeping changes.

“We are absolutely fine coming into this game. We know quite clearly what we want. We respect the champions but we have full confidence in the boys and what they have done in these last two years,” said Hierro.

Portugal’s defender Jose Fonte (L) and forward Cristiano Ronaldo take part in a training session.

– Ronaldo’s last chance? –

Spain will be coming up against a Portuguese side who have come to Russia as the defending European champions, with Ronaldo knowing this is surely his last shot at winning the World Cup.

Both teams are expected to come through a group also containing Morocco and Iran, but Friday’s game could have a major impact in determining who finishes top.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, is hoping to improve his record in front of goal on this stage — he has scored only three times in three World Cups.

“I prefer to have him on our side. We know how important he is, he is a constant danger,” admitted Ramos of his Real Madrid colleague.

While Spain have a doubt over who will start at right-back with Dani Carvajal still struggling for full fitness, Portugal coach Fernando Santos has no injury worries.

He appeared confident of delivering a first victory for his country over Spain at a major tournament since Euro 2004.

“This is a ‘Classico'”, said Santos. “We are two countries who have a lot in common, not least the fact we share a border. We are neighbours, but also teams with great quality.”

“We don’t want to be arrogant but we are full of hope.”

Putin declared the tournament open at the 80,000-capacity Luzhniki Stadium, saying football “unites the entire world” before watching his team overwhelm their hapless Group A opponents.

In a performance beyond the wildest dreams of even the most ardent home fans, two goals from substitute Denis Cheryshev were the highlight as Russia ended a seven-match run without a win in style.

Iury Gazinsky got the party started early, heading Russia in front in the 12th minute before Cheryshev rifled home a second shortly before half-time.

Russia’s midfielder Yuri Gazinskiy (L) scoring the opening goal past Saudi Arabia’s goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf.

Another substitute, Artem Dzyuba, made it 3-0 with about 20 minutes remaining before a delicious late goal from Cheryshev with the outside of his left boot and a fifth from Aleksandr Golovin sealed the rout.

Victory for Russia, ranked a lowly 70th in the world — three places below Saudi Arabia — was vital for the home nation’s hopes of progressing, with tougher games against Egypt and Uruguay to come.

“There are no words to express what I’m feeling right now. I’m happy we won and happy I could help my team,” said man-of-the match Cheryshev.

“I felt very happy when I knew I would be here in the squad but I never dreamed of anything like this.”

– Williams gesture –

English singer Robbie Williams performs during the opening ceremony. 

Earlier, British pop star Robbie Williams caused a stir during his performance at the opening ceremony by making an obscene gesture to a camera.

The former Take That star raised his middle finger at the end of his performance at the Luzhniki after appearing to mouth the words “I did this for free”.

Russia is spending more than $13 billion (11 billion euros) on hosting football’s showpiece, the most important event in the country since the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics.

The buildup to the tournament has been dogged by controversy and diplomatic scandals and has shone a light on the challenges facing the country.

On the day of the curtainraiser, Russia freed the main opposition figure to Putin, Alexei Navalny, from jail after he served a 30-day sentence for organising an illegal protest.

But British gay rights activist Peter Tatchell was arrested for holding a one-man protest against the country’s record on gay rights, hours before kick-off.

A Russian football fan reacts as he watches the Russia 2018 World Cup Group A football match between Russia and Saudi Arabia.

– Big guns –

The World Cup favourites — Germany, Spain, France, Brazil — enter the fray from Friday onwards.

Brazil and star striker Neymar are seeking a sixth global crown while Germany, who won their fourth World Cup in Brazil four years ago, are determined to draw level with the South Americans.

France boast possibly the most talented squad while Lionel Messi is desperate to make amends for Argentina’s defeat in the 2014 final.

The preparations of 2010 winners Spain were thrown into disarray after coach Julen Lopetegui was sacked just two days before their opening game on Friday against Portugal. He had angered his federation by accepting the job of Real Madrid manager.

Sergio Ramos and new coach Fernando Hierro displayed a united front on Thursday, smiling for the cameras as Spain scrambled to get their campaign back on track.

Almost 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles) away, Lopetegui was being unveiled as the new Madrid coach, describing the day he was sacked as “the saddest day of my life since the death of my mother”.

Neymar, the world’s most expensive player, has recovered from a broken bone in his foot in time for the tournament.

Egypt’s coach said prolific striker Mohamed Salah is “almost 100 percent” to play in their opening match against Uruguay on Friday after he had intensive treatment on the shoulder injury he suffered playing for Liverpool against Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech before the  match between Russia and Saudi Arabia.

– Hearts and minds –

The money lavished on the tournament will boost Putin’s already sky-high prestige at home by giving many of the 11 host cities their first facelifts in generations.

The tournament also offers Putin a chance to project Russia as a global player that is accepted and respected even while being at odds with the United States.

He is attempting to do so despite Russia being hit by international sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014.

Moscow’s military backing of the Syrian regime and alleged meddling in the 2016 US election on President Donald Trump’s behalf only deepened its worst rift with the West since the Cold War.

Putin hopes the most-watched event on the planet provides Russia with the “soft power” needed to capture a sceptical world’s hearts and minds.

Russia is spending more than $13 billion (11 billion euros) on hosting football’s showpiece, the most important event in the country since the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics.

The buildup has been dogged by controversy and diplomatic scandals and has shone a light on the challenges facing Putin’s Russia.

On the day of the curtainraiser, Russia freed the main opposition figure to Putin, Alexei Navalny, from jail after he served a 30-day sentence for organising an illegal protest.

The completely refurbished Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow hosts the opening match, against the two lowest-ranked sides in the tournament.

Excitement has been steadily building in Moscow, with thousands of Saudi fans in green and white arriving in the city for the match.

British pop star Robbie Williams performed at the opening ceremony at the Luzhniki.

The World Cup favourites enter the fray this weekend.

Russia supporters attend the Russia 2018 World Cup Group A football match between Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Brazil and their superstar Neymar are seeking a sixth global crown while Germany, who won their fourth World Cup in Brazil four years ago, will be determined to draw level with the Brazilians when the final is played in Moscow on July 15.

France boast possibly the most talented squad while Lionel Messi is desperate to make amends for Argentina’s defeat in the 2014 final.

– Hearts and minds –

The money lavished on the tournament will boost Putin’s already sky-high prestige at home by giving many of the 11 host cities their first facelifts in generations.

Cities such as Saransk were sleepy outposts with decaying buildings until the World Cup reconstruction put them firmly in the 21st century.

The tournament also offers Putin a chance to project Russia as a global player that is accepted and respected even while being at odds with the United States.

He is attempting to do so despite Russia being hit by international sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014.

Moscow’s military backing of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria and alleged meddling in the 2016 US election on President Donald Trump’s behalf only deepened its worst rift with the West since the Cold War.

Putin hopes the most-watched event on the planet provides Russia with the “soft power” needed to capture a sceptical world’s hearts and minds.

– Racism and riots –

Russian authorities have gone to great lengths to ensure nothing soils the country’s image.

The bloody beating English fans took from nearly 200 Russian thugs at Euro 2016 in France has influenced preparations as much as any diplomatic dispute.

Neo-Nazi hooligans who organise mass fights in forests and chant racist slurs at players have been a feature of Russian stadiums for years.

The anti-discrimination network Fare said Russia’s football federation was making matters worse by punishing those who reacted to racist abuse “while ignoring the perpetrators”.

Security services have either locked up or restricted the movement of hundreds to make sure they do nothing to tarnish Russia’s image.

The preparations of 2010 winners Spain are in tatters after coach Julen Lopetegui was sacked just two days before their opening game on Friday against Portugal. He had angered his federation by taking the job of Real Madrid manager.

Neymar, the world’s most expensive player, has recovered from a broken bone in his foot in time.

Egypt’s coach said prolific striker Mohamed Salah is “almost 100 percent” to play in their opening match against Uruguay on Friday after having intensive treatment on the shoulder injury he suffered playing for Liverpool against Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

Salah’s return is a massive boost for Egypt and for the tournament in Russia because it means one of the hottest players on the planet at the moment will be in action.

“We still have to see how training goes today, but I can almost assure you 100 percent that he’ll play, we are all very optimistic that he will be on the pitch,” Cuper said on Thursday, shortly before leading out his squad for training at Yekaterinburg Arena — with Salah among them.

The 62-year-old Argentine Cuper added: “Salah is very good and he’s recovered very quickly.”

Salah, who sustained the injury in Liverpool’s Champions League final loss to Real Madrid on May 26, is crucial to Egypt’s hopes of making it out of a weak-looking Group A also featuring hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Egypt play Uruguay — tipped by some to be dark horses — in just the second game of the tournament, following Russia against Saudi Arabia in the opening match later Thursday.

Salah was one of the outstanding players in the world this season as he helped propel Liverpool to the Champions League final.

But his World Cup dream was left on the brink when he exited the Champions League final three weeks ago in tears after Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos wrestled him to the ground.

Salah, who turns 26 on the day of the game, gave 100 million frantic Egyptians a huge lift on Wednesday when he joined a squad training session at their Grozny base.

And Cuper hinted on Thursday that it was the player who had the final decision whether to play.

“Doctors are giving him the option,” said Cuper.

“If he does decide to play he will have full guarantee (about his condition) and I am sure that he will be fine.

“If we see at the last minute that there is an issue then we will see if it can be resolved, but certainly he does not feel afraid.”

Cuper has attempted to dismiss the notion that Egypt are a one-man side, but with 44 goals in all competitions this season for Liverpool, Salah’s badly timed injury had become a national obsession back home and made global headlines.

Salah is regarded as a contender for the Ballon d’Or for his spectacular debut season at Anfield, alongside Argentina’s Lionel Messi, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar of Brazil.

Egypt, a no-frills side who play on the counterattack under the wily Cuper, face hosts Russia on Tuesday and the Saudis on June 25 in their last group game.

The match will also be new Arsenal manager Unai Emery’s first in English football’s top flight.

The exact date of the game will be confirmed when television broadcasting schedules are drawn up.

City amassed 100 points and scored 106 goals while finishing 19 points clear of second-placed Manchester United in the 2017/18 season.

Following the Arsenal game, City do not face another top-six team until they are away to Liverpool — who beat Pep Guardiola’s men in the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season — in October.

In between those two eye-catching fixtures, City will play the newly-promoted trio of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cardiff City and Fulham, as well as last year’s promoted teams Huddersfield, Newcastle and Brighton.

Manchester United begin their league campaign at home to Leicester City and face a potentially tricky encounter in their third game when Tottenham Hotspur come to Old Trafford.

Jose Mourinho’s side face Brighton and Hove Albion, Burnley, Watford and Wolves in other early-season games.

Liverpool, the losing Champions League finalists, appear to have he toughest start of any of the likely title-contenders.

They begin their Premier League season at home to West Ham before facing Crystal Palace, Brighton and Leicester.

Tottenham have until Friday to decide if they will still be playing home games at Wembley this season.

Spurs made the journey across north London to the national stadium last term while their successor ground to White Hart Lane was being built.

That work has still to be completed, with Premier League chiefs giving Spurs an away start at Newcastle.

Arsenal have a tough start under new Spanish boss Emery, who has the daunting task of succeeding the long-serving Arsene Wenger, with the Gunners away to Chelsea after facing Manchester City

Chelsea begin the league campaign away to Huddersfield and, after their all-London clash against Arsenal, face Newcastle, Bournemouth, Cardiff, West Ham, Liverpool and Southampton.

None of the promoted sides have been given a horror run of games against leading clubs at the start of the season, although they will each face at least one of the big six in their opening four fixtures.

Championship-winners Wolves begin their return to the Premier League at home to Everton before matches away to Leicester and West Ham bookend the visit of  Manchester City to Molineux.

Cardiff start at Bournemouth while Fulham, who secured their place in the top flight via a Wembley play-off final win over Aston Villa start the league season at home to Crystal Palace.

The final round of Premier League fixtures, scheduled for May 12, will see Manchester City away to Brighton, while Manchester United and Liverpool are at home to Cardiff and Wolves respectively.

In an operation Wednesday night codenamed “Blazespike”, police said they arrested 42 men and three women for offences including illegal bookmaking and managing unlawful gambling establishments.

They also seized cash worth more than HK$2.5 million, a large number of computers and a small amount of drugs.

“Preliminary investigation shows that those arrested include the mastermind and core members of the syndicate. Some of them have a triad background,” police said in a statement.

“The police believe this operation has successfully dismantled an illegal bookmaking syndicate.”

In a parallel operation across the border, mainland Chinese police arrested another five men believed to be part of the same gambling ring.

Gambling in Hong Kong is restricted to authorised outlets for betting on horse racing, football and the local lottery.

Illegal bookmakers could face a maximum fine of HK$5 million and up to seven years in jail while those using their services could face a fine of HK$30,000 and up to nine months’ imprisonment.

Despite the stiff penalties, illegal gambling has grown exponentially in recent years. During the 2014 World Cup, police seized cash and betting slips worth a record HK$750 million.

Illegal bookmakers are said to offer better odds and easier credit terms — although failure to repay can lead to violent reprisals, according to police

The representatives will compete against more than 1,100 contestants at the Asian Final in Australia on August 5^th for the opportunity to sail through to the World Final in Stuttgart, Germany.

Mr. Frank Steinacher, Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Mercedes-Benz (Thailand) Limited, said “Mercedes-Benz continually offers ‘THE BEST’ to customers today and tomorrow. Guided by our commitment to offer the best experience, we have long held a variety of activities to strengthen our ties with customers and dealers. Today, golf is a prominent sport in Thailand. It has attracted widespread interest and reached out to people of all ages. MercedesTrophy therefore proves a much-awaited event among our customers. Since its launch in 1999, MercedesTrophy has already attracted and given an opportunity to win a greenlight for a world-class golf tournament to more than 20,000 golf enthusiasts from across Thailand.”

“The esteemed image of golf truly resonates well with Mercedes-Benz’s brand image and at the same time reflects our Emotion and Intelligence philosophy. Recognizing the value of golf, we have arranged MercedesTrophy for the purposes of strengthening relationships with all relevant parties and of attracting new customers to our Mercedes-Benz Family,” Mr. Steinacher added.

The Country Final round of the 19^th “MercedesTrophy 2018” took place at Alpine Golf and Sports Club on May 21^st under “The Best Never Stops” concept.  The highest scorer from each division secures the chance of representing Thailand in the Asian Final in Australia whereby their performance will determine the opportunity to get into the World Final in Stuttgart, Germany. This prestigious event is jointly supported by famous brands: TaylorMade – Adidas Golf,  Qatar Airways, Autozkin, Singha, Shiseido, Bangkok Hospital Pattaya, and Tyreplus. Mercedes-Benz Thailand has already selected the six Thai golfers, male and female, as Thailand’s representatives for the Asian Final, namely Ms. Nanthanij Chanprem, Mr. Niwut Poolsri, Mr. Rattapol Sangmanee, Mr. Thammarak Aphiromrak, Mr. Kitti Sittipravet, and Mr. Prakran Sappadungchon.

“All the six winners of the Country Final win not only the right to compete in the Asian Final in Australia but also many other prizes from MercedesTrophy sponsors namely a trophy, golfing equipment, a return business-class air ticket, food, and accommodation for their trip to the overseas competition, and 3 days of a complementary full round of golf on both practice and competition days. They will also receive an opportunity to join the Training Camp, held on July 25^th and 26^th, which will take place at Siam Country Club Waterside. They, moreover, will get an access to Mercedes-Benz Driving Experience at Australia. All representatives will be exclusively supported during their overseas stay as Mercedes-Benz Thailand’s special guests. Unfortunately, though, no one could score our prestigious Hole-In-One prize, a Mercedes-Benz E 350 e Avantgarde, a Plug-in HYBRID car from our EQ – Electric Intelligence by Mercedes-Benz category, this year,” Mr. Steinacher concluded.

Players expected to shine include Cristiano Ronaldo of European champions Portugal and Lionel Messi, leading the line for Argentina.