Daizen Maeda gave us a real moment in the 56th, the kind of finish that wakes a stadium up, and for six glorious minutes Dallas thought it was watching a contest. Then Anthony Elanga answered in the 62nd, the scoreboard balanced itself, and both teams quietly remembered they were already through.

From there the match settled into the comfiest draw at the tournament, two sides protecting legs and pride instead of chasing a winner nobody needed. The intensity didn't collapse so much as gently lie down for a nap. You could feel both benches doing the math and liking the answer.

It wasn't bad football, it was risk-free football, the kind you watch with one eye while checking the other groups. Two clean finishes from two excellent attackers, wrapped around forty minutes of mutual respect. A fine appetiser, just don't pretend it was the main course.