5 storylines to follow 5 days into the World Cup

The World Cup is not even a week in and there is plenty to talk about.

Second-ranked Spain played to a draw with major underdog Cape Verde, while Morocco captured a stalemate with Brazil.

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The Netherlands vs. Japan game also lived up to the hype, tying 2-2.

Here are a few headlines to pay attention to as the action unfolds across the U.S., Canada and Mexico:

Star Neymar remains sidelined as Brazil battles to draw with Morocco

It was a highly anticipated matchup between the usual cup contender Brazil, against a Morocco team experiencing a golden generation of soccer players.

Scoring first was Morocco’s Ismael Saibari as he flipped the ball up and over Brazil’s goalie. Not long after, Brazil responded with a goal of its own, and the score would not change after that.

The last time Brazil experienced a draw in the group stage was when the team encountered Switzerland on its way to a quarterfinal appearance. Brazil is looking to restore its dominance in the sport, as the last time it made the semifinals was 2014, and its last time it won the World Cup was 2002.

Brazil is playing without one of its stars, Neymar, who is working through a lingering calf injury. It is hopeful he returns for their match against Haiti on Friday, but he may sit out until June 24, debuting against Scotland.

Cape Verde surprises Spain

Perhaps the biggest surprise thus far is Cape Verde’s draw with Spain. Second-ranked Spain entered as one of the favorites to win the entire tournament but got off to a bumpy start against the World Cup novices.

Cape Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper played hero as he prevented seven shots on goal to keep the Spaniards out of the net the entire match. The island country only had one shot on goal.

The other match in Group H also ended in a tie between Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, leaving the qualifying bid wide open. Despite Spain’s setback, oddsmakers still have great confidence in Spain’s ability to make a deep run. Spain is tied with France with the best odds to win the tournament.

U.S. strong showing ahead of Australia

The U.S. soccer team opened up its quest for glory with a dominant showing against Paraguay, winning 4-1. A first half brace from Folarin Balogun allowed the U.S. to coast to victory.

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Next up will be Australia, which defeated Turkey 2-0, in a Sunday match that could determine the pool winner.

Potential history in Group G

After two ties thus far, the countries in Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand could make history. Out of the four, Belgium is the only one to see the knockout round, and, after a tie with Egypt, left the door open for the African country to score its qualifying bid.

To make history, New Zealand and Egypt simply need to win a game for it to be historic. A victory would result in a first-ever World Cup match win in both countries’ history.

On another note, New Zealand’s Tyler Bindon subbed in during the 92nd minute, making him part of the first mother-son duo to ever play in a World Cup. His mother, Jenny Bindon, was a goalie for New Zealand in 2007 and 2011.

Netherlands, Japan draw in closing minutes

A highly anticipated match between Japan and the Netherlands came down to the ending moments, when Japan scored a late equalizer off the foot of Daichi Kamada to draw with the Dutch.

Featuring Virgil van Dijk and Frenkie de Jong, the Dutch have much better odds to advance than Japan, but both are behind the needle as Sweden already secured a victory against Tunisia.

Netherlands faces off against Sweden on Saturday.

World Cup favorites such as France, Argentina, Portugal and England have yet to begin World Cup play, but will open up play Tuesday and Wednesday.

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