With outrageous goals flying in from all angles, Euro 2024 has started with a bang.

Could a $170 high tech football ball be to thank for this?

Dallas star Luka Doncic was still absorbing the bitter blow of NBA Finals defeat, but one big lesson from the Mavericks 4-1 loss to the Boston Celtics was already clear.

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to feature at six European Championship tournaments when he captained Portugal to a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in their opening game on Tuesday.

The 39-year-old Ronaldo, who made his tournament debut at Euro 2004 where Portugal reached the final, already had the records for the most goals (14) at the tournament, while he extended his appearance record to 26 games. He helped Portugal win the title at Euro 2016.

Portugal defender Pepe became the oldest player to feature at a European Championship after helping his team to a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in their opening game on Tuesday.

Pepe was 41 years and 113 days old, taking the record from the previous holder, Hungary goalkeeper Gábor Király. Király was 40 years and 86 days old when he played against Belgium in the round of 16 at Euro 2016.

The opening round of group matches at the European Championship is complete.

Here are some things we learned:

The football world is waiting to discover how long France superstar Kylian Mbappé will be out of the European Championship after breaking his nose.

The diagnosis is fairly encouraging from two of his teammates.

The Paris Olympics involve about 10,500 athletes from 200 countries or regions. But the Olympics are more than just fun and games.

They are a giant business that generates billions of dollars in income for the International Olympic Committee. They're also a proxy for geopolitical influence seen through the standings in the medal tables, the presence of world leaders at the opening ceremony and the national anthems serenading gold-medal winners.

The city of Brussels says it won't host a UEFA Nations League match between Belgium and Israel in September because of the "dramatic situation in Gaza" that creates a security headache for city officials.

Brussels' first alderman Benoit Hellings said on Wednesday the city considers it impossible to organize the match, which was scheduled to take place at the Stade Roi Baudouin on Sept. 6.

The fluttering of 64 kilometers of orange bunting and a hammer driving a nail into a wall to hold up orange tarps are the sounds of a Dutch summer of football in a normally drab suburban street in The Hague.

The Marktweg is one of several streets in the Netherlands that get an all-encompassing orange facelift during European Championships and World Cups when the national team — known as Oranje after the Dutch royal family and the color of their shirts — are looking to add to the Euro it won 36 years ago.

Hungary faces Switzerland on Saturday in Cologne in their first Group A match. The other teams in the group are host nation Germany and Scotland. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. local time (1300 GMT/9 a.m. EST). Here's what to know about the match:

Match facts— Switzerland is aiming for a winning start to its Euro 2024 campaign as it bids to reach the knockout stages for the third European Championship in a row.