Austria defender Stefan Posch and England defender Djed Spence stand out on the field for the black jaw braces they have been wearing in matches. Players have long had to wear face protections for injuries like fractured cheek bones or broken noses.

The jaw braces Spence and Posch wear are custom-fit devices that wrap around the back of the neck, over the top of the head and under the chin to keep the jaw stable through the wear and tear of a game. Spence wears his after suffering a fractured jaw in one of Tottenham's final matches of the Premier League season, when he took a flying elbow to the face on a header.

Instead of surgery that might knock him off the World Cup squad, Spence opted for the brace. Before the tournament, he called it uncomfortable, but necessary. Posch was injured in a collision with a Jordan defender in Austria's 3-1 win in first match of the tournament.