How the Brighton players have faired in the first round of 2022 World Cup games

The first-ever winter World Cup started on Sunday (November 20) and has so far been a mixture of shock upsets and uninspiring defensive football from many of the 32 teams participating in the Middle East – 4 of the initial 16 games have been goalless draws.

This is no surprise however, as tournament football is predictably cages in the opening few games, with everyone desperate to avoid a losing start.

Brighton have sent a record number of players to this year’s competition, with a total of eight Albion associates six different nations in the last five days.

Two of these players have been involved in biggest stories to come out of Qatar, which has already witnessed some of greatest upsets in World Cup history.

Winger Karou Mitoma played a major role in Japan’s historic win over four-time world champions Germany on Wednesday (November 23), being one of the five substitutes that turned the Group E game on its head.

Trailing 1-0 at half time from an İlkay Gündoğan penalty, manager Hajime Moriyasu made positive, attacking changes to take the game to the Germans at the break.

This paid off for the Samurai Blues, as two of the bench players – Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano – scored the goals to win a frantic game at Khalifa International Stadium.

Mitoma was a constant threat to Germany defence in the 35 minutes he was on the pitch, starting the attack for Doan’s equaliser with a neatly threaded ball for former Liverpool winger Takumi Minamino, who saw his cross palmed into Doan’s path.

Following the memorable victory and impactful cameo, the 25-year-old will be hopeful of starting Japan’s next game against Costa Rica on Sunday (November 27).

The second upset of the tournament so far saw a Brighton player on the other side of the result, with Alexis Mac Allister’s Argentina losing to a fearless Saudi Arabia side on Tuesday (November 22).

The Brighton midfielder did not feature in the game, which saw one of the tournament favourites lose 2-1 to a side ranked 51st in the FIFA world rankings.

Despite taking the lead through Lionel Messi from the penalty spot, goals from Saleh Al Shehri and Salem Al Dawsari ended the Argentine’s 36-game unbeaten run.

Mac Allister, who has won eight caps for the 2021 Copa America champions, may be one of a number of changes manager Lionel Scaloni makes for their must win tie against Mexico on Saturday (November 26).

Three Brighton players were also in action in the opening game of the 2022 World Cup, as Ecuador defeated the hosts 2-0 at the Al Bayt Stadium.

Moises Caicedo and Pervis Estupiñán started the game for the South American outfit, who were in complete control from the first minute to the last, as Enner Valencia’s two goals in the first half secured all three points for La Tri.

Albion forward Jeremy Sarmiento also made a substitute appearance in the second half, with all three players now feeling confident of making the knockout stages of the tournament, playing the Netherlands and Senegal in their other Group A games.

Defender Tariq Lamptey was also a second-half substitute for Ghana in their 3-2 loss to Portugal in Group H, changing the game from the moment he stepped on the pitch in the 66th minute.

Portugal had taken the lead through Cristiano Ronaldo with Ghana yet to have a shot in the entire game. The introduction of Lamptey changed the Black Stars outlook, scoring an equaliser through former Swansea forward Andre Ayew, before two goals in as many minutes secured victory for the 2016 European champions.

Osman Bukhari did head in a consolation for Ghana, who nearly secured a draw in the last minute when Inaki Williams pinched the ball off goalkeeper Diogo Costa, but slipped at the vital moment.

Despite the defeat, the positive impact the Albion full-back had on the game makes him a likely starter for Ghana’s crucial game against South Korea on Monday (November 28).

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Leandro Trossard’s Belgium were lucky to leave their opening game against Canada with a win, having been second best for much of the 90 minutes, but still came away with all three points thanks to a Michy Batshuayi strike.

Trossard came on as a 62nd minute substitute for Eden Hazard, as the Red Devils had keeper Thibaut Courtois to thank for the victory, after he saved Alphonso Davies’ first-half penalty and pulled off a number of impressive saves throughout.

The second and only player to not feature in the first round of games was keeper Robert Sánchez, who was an unused sub in Spain’s dominant 7-0 victory over Costa Rica.