What a World Cup 2018 so far! We’ve had Cristiano Ronaldo shine as Lionel Messi faltered, Spain pretty much coach themselves, Russia hit five and VAR make its mark on the tournament. And day four is even more exciting.
Costa Rica kick it all off against Serbia at 1pm BST before two of the heavy favourites make their first marks in Russia this summer.
World champions Germany start their campaign to become only the second team to retain the trophy against Mexico at the Luzhniki Stadium before Brazil, who have won this competition more than any other country, take on Switzerland in Group E.
So, let’s get to it!
LIVE UPDATES
Live Updates
17:06
Finally, time to recap the day's big stories:
- Serbia squeaked past Costa Rica at the Samara Arena, Aleksandar Kolarov's wonderful free-kick securing a 1-0 victory.
- England trained for the final time in Repino ahead of tomorrow's opener against Tunisia.
- Mohamed Salah's agent has declared him fit to play, and has put the pressure on Egypt manager Hector Cuper to start Salah against Russia on Tuesday.
That's all for today. I've been Harry Latham-Coyle for The Independent - thank you for joining me.
17:01
Brazil-Switzerland could be another cracker tonight. For detailed, live updates throughout the game, follow along here:
16:59
We are just about done for the day here. You can follow what I am sure is going to be another entertaining half at the Luzhniki Stadium with Molly Hudson here:
16:56
Alegría
16:34
Still a very open affair in Moscow. Chances aplenty, but nothing of the real quality required to beat either keeper. 0-0.
16:17
Quarter of an hour in at the Luzhniki. Lovely open, flowing, end-to-end game of football. Mexico have tested Manuel Neuer a few times, while Germany look dangerous every time they move forward. Great start to the game.
15:43
Big man, big smile: Zlatan is ready for the action at the Luzhniki Stadium.
15:30
There will be plenty of familiar names in that Mexico line-up, including Javier Hernandez, Carlos Vela and star of the 2014 World Cup Guillermo Ochoa in goal.
But one man you may not be as familiar with is Hirving Lozano. Nicknamed "Chucky," the 22-year old plays for PSV Eindhoven and is a speedy winger of immense technical ability. Sports editor Ed Malyon picked Lozano out as one of eight potential superstars to watch in this tournament:
15:16
Molly Hudson is on live blogging duties for this Group F clash. She'll be providing detailed updates as the game progresses:
15:11
And the Mexican team: Guillermo Ochoa, Carlos Salcedo, Hector Moreno, Hugo Ayala, Jesus Gallardo, Andres Guardado, Hector Herrera, Miguel Layun, Carlos Vela, Hirving Lozano, Javier Hernandez.
14:58
Now we turn our attentions to Germany-Mexico at the Luzhniki Stadium. Here is the defending champions' starting lineup:
14:53
Handbags! Filip Kostic butchers a Serbian break, and the ball goes out of play. Nemanja Matic is angry when a Costa Rican coach picks up the ball, and there's a bit of argy-bargy from the Manchester United midfielder and various Costa Rican personnel. There is a VAR check for a potential red card offence, but there is nothing doing.
14:40
It remains 1-0 in Samara. Serbia still on top. Can Costa Rica find a late equaliser?
14:27
News on Mohamed Salah. His agent says the Egyptian is fit to play, and has put the pressure on Hector Cuper to start him in the Pharaohs next game against Russia.
Ed Malyon has more:
Please allow a moment for the blog to load…
