Two late Dutch goals were enough to seal a 2-0 victory for the Netherlands over Senegal in Group A’s first round of matches.
Cody Gakpo struck late to give Holland the advantage after a tight affair with the African champions at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Davy Klaassen sealed the win for the Oranje in the ninth minute of added time after Édouard Mendy's parry into his path.
An uninspiring Netherlands side will be pleased to get their first win back on the world stage since 2014 after not qualifying for Russia 2018, but will want to improve on their opening day performance.
A more comfortable two games will be the aim for Louis Van Gaal's side after getting past arguably the strongest of the three other sides in their group.
Senegal, on the other hand, will still have hope for their group stage campaign despite their defeat.
Holding off a good Netherlands side is no small feat, especially since their loss of talisman Sadio Mané, and they will still have their sights set on at least second place in the group.
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No Mané, more problems?
One of the biggest omissions of this winter's World Cup has notably been the absence of Bayern Munich star Sadio Mané.
Whilst Senegal were not terrible in their inaugural fixture, you cannot help but think that they could have salvaged a draw at the very least.
Ismaila Sarr covered the Lions of Teranga's left-hand side in his absence when he would usually be on the opposing flank and was not bad by any means.
However, the Bayern forward could have had a lot of joy down the Netherland's shaky right wing.
The loss of the 30-year-old just days before the start of the tournament has put doubt in people's minds over Senegal's ability to do well this year.
Losing such a crucial cog in the Senegal machine, and a role model in the side, will have dampened spirits in the African side's camp.
Despite this, there are positives for them to take from the game.
Watford's Ismaila Sarr showed glimpses of quality, dropping the shoulder and beating Denzel Dumfries at one point, and he could very well take the mantle of star player in his countryman's absence.
On top of this, the Lions could use the loss of Mané to their advantage, wanting to win and go far with him in mind.
There's hope for the African champions and there's still time to grow into the competition and build confidence will winnable games against Ecuador and hosts Qatar next.
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Two blunt forward lines
An area to most certainly work on for both sides is their threat in the final third.
The Netherlands looked stumped for ideas at times, with a lack of creativity in the front line.
Ajax's Steven Bergwijn thrives when on the shoulder of the defence, Gakpo is more of an outlet and goalscorer, and Vincent Janssen is a back-to-goal hold up striker who wants to poach goals in the area.
None of the front three that started the game have the natural ability to create chances, beat men and play the killer ball, and De Jong cannot do everything on his own from the deeper position he tends to take up.
Barcelona's Memphis Depay could potentially be this threat going forward and it surprised a few when he was not named in the first eleven.
Whatever the lineup for the next couple of games, the Netherlands need to be more precise and direct in cutting defences open, particularly against teams that will sit back and defend.
Their opponents got shots away, but could not carve a clear chance on goal for the majority of the match.
Senegal are obviously without Mané, but could be a threat against Ecuador and Qatar with the pace and directness of Sarr and other young talents like Krépin Diatta and Nicolas Jackson.
The Lions of Teranga will be desperate to get their goal tally up and running in their next fixture against hosts Qatar.
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Frankie De Jong is the key
It took the first real moment of quality from the Barcelona midfielder to break the ongoing deadlock between the two sides.
Despite a lapse in communication between him and Virgil Van Dijk briefly in the first half, the Dutchman dictated the game when the Oranje were in possession.
De Jong is crucial to his side's transition from defence to attack, utilising his elegant dribbling and precise passing prowess to propel the Netherlands up the pitch.
His brilliant cross to forward Cody Gakpo is just what the game needed to liven it up, even if it did take until the 84th minute.
He almost scored the opener himself earlier on in the first half when he was played through by Feyenoord's Steven Berghuis, but took a few too many touches and squandered the opportunity.
The Dutch number 21 could be a real star and name to watch as the tournament progresses.
He could transform his side from outsiders to real favourites for the crown.
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Gakpo in the shop window
First goalscorer Gakpo did not have the most lethal of displays on his World Cup debut, but he got his crucial goal.
The PSV Eindhoven forward has an amazing 14 goals and 14 assists already this season and is becoming more of a target for the world's biggest clubs as the season progresses.
The Dutchman was a top target for Southampton in the summer as well as being on the radar of Leeds United and Manchester United, however a move never materialised for any of the English clubs.
Southampton in particular will regret missing out on Gakpo since seeing his revelatory performances in the Eredivisie, but the striker will now surely have his eyes set on bigger things after lighting up the Dutch league.
Now linked most heavily with Manchester United, Gakpo has made his case on the biggest stage and announced himself as one to watch this tournament.
There are reports that the 23-year-old could be available for purchase as early as this January just after the conclusion of the World Cup, and Gakpo's debut goal has likely increased his chances of securing a move to one of Europe's elite.
Now firmly in the shop window, the Dutchman has a big tournament ahead of him with his side facing Ecuador next on Friday.