If football games in the Confederations Cup are all like today’s openers, then we are in for a treat.
Live betting was on a knife edge until the very end and the outcomes were certainly not as clear cut as pre-match betting odds suggested.
Portugal 2-2 Mexico
The thriller in Russia saw Hector Moreno emerge as the Mexican hero with a late header, cancelling out a deflected Cedric Soares’ shot moments earlier which looked like giving the European Champions a winning start.
There was no doubting who took centre stage for much of the contest.
The news that Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave Real Madrid and Spain after an accusation he committed tax fraud may well be sending speculation into overdrive.
But if he is becoming infuriated, the world’s number one took it out on the South Americans, setting up Ricardo Quaresma to slot in the opener.
Another man with former Manchester United and Madrid connections, Javier Hernandez, equalised for Mexico before the break and it stayed level until the late show.
As the sides shared the spoils, it was still difficult to imagine this cannot be resolved quickly and Ronaldo either offered a lucrative new deal or Real offering to pay for any legal counsel that may be required in the months ahead.
If slightly lower key, the other match also proved big names so often shine on the big occasion.
Cameroon 0-2 Chile
Arturo Vidal, seen as one of the men to drive Chile to Confederations glory, helped see off a spirited, yet limited, Cameroon with the opening goal nine minutes from time.
With a new haircut, not to mention new custom boots, he took the plaudits in a game of few chances with his 23rd goal for the national team.
Eduardo Vargas had the final say, although he had to wait for the new video replay evidence system before knowing whether it had stood, after he pounced clinically in the box.
Two very different games but an encouraging start to a tournament which many thought may be more of an off-season distraction.
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