Cristiano Ronaldo ignites Portugal’s World Cup campaign
Cristiano Ronaldo roared back into the World Cup spotlight with a ruthless double as Portugal tore Uzbekistan apart 5-0, on a day when England stalled, Croatia clung on, and the knockout picture sharpened into focus.
This was Day 13 in North America. It belonged to a 39-year-old who refuses to step aside.
Ronaldo ignites Portugal’s campaign
The debate around Cristiano Ronaldo’s place in Roberto Martinez’s starting XI had been growing louder since the 1-1 draw with DR Congo. Martinez ignored it. Ronaldo answered it.
Six minutes into Portugal’s Group K clash in Guadalajara, Joao Cancelo zipped a ball into the box. One touch, swivel, low finish at the near post. Net bulging, noise exploding, records tumbling. Ronaldo became the first player to score in six World Cups.
From there, he started dictating the show.
Over a free-kick that looked tailor-made for one of his trademark knuckleballs, Ronaldo stepped up, feinted, and let it roll for Nuno Mendes on the edge of the area. Mendes drilled it home in the 17th minute, a training-ground routine delivered with a veteran’s ego-free nod to the collective.
Portugal were cruising, and Ronaldo was not done. On 39 minutes, Bruno Fernandes split Uzbekistan’s back line with a perfectly weighted pass. Ronaldo burst through the gap, timed his run to perfection, and finished with familiar cold precision. Two goals, one assist in all but name, and a message sent to the rest of the tournament.
An own goal on the hour mark deepened Uzbekistan’s misery, before Rafael Leao added the gloss in the 87th minute, his late strike sealing a five-star performance that finally matched Portugal’s pre-tournament billing.
At full-time, Ronaldo found the nearest TV camera and bellowed: “I’m back, I’m back.” He had just overtaken Eusebio as Portugal’s all-time leading scorer at World Cups. Another historic mark, another night bent to his will.
Later, he dialled the emotion down but not the intent.
“I’m very happy but, for me, the most important thing is our work and the confidence we showed,” he said. “Obviously personal records are always nice but my goal is always to help the team achieve its objectives.”
Portugal’s campaign, briefly in question, now feels very much alive.
Colombia grind it out, Group K takes shape
In the same group, Colombia had to work far harder for their points.
Against DR Congo, they pushed, probed, and ran into a wall named Lionel Mpasi. The DRC goalkeeper kept Colombia at bay with a string of sharp interventions, turning what many expected to be a routine win into a tight, tense contest.
The resistance finally cracked with 14 minutes left. Daniel Munoz arrived with the decisive touch, his goal breaking the deadlock and sealing a 1-0 victory that sends Colombia through to the round of 32.
It was not pretty. It did not need to be. Colombia are in; DR Congo are left to fight for survival in the final round of group games.
England stall, Ghana stand firm
Over in Group L, the mood could hardly have been more different. England, fresh from a breathless 4-2 win over Croatia, trudged through a goalless draw with Ghana that will not live long in the memory.
The match began under a cloud. As the teams lined up, boos rang out for Thomas Partey, who is set to stand trial next year for rape and sexual assault charges he denies. The noise framed the opening minutes, but once the whistle went, the story turned to structure and stalemate.
Ghana, one of the most organised defensive units at this World Cup, locked England out. Thomas Tuchel’s side hogged the ball but offered little incision. The first half ended without a single shot on target from either team, a statistic that summed up the lack of imagination on display.
Tuchel shuffled his options and the tempo lifted after the break. Substitute Nico O’Reilly came closest first, his header clipping the bar and jolting England into life. With four minutes to go, the chance finally arrived: Harry Kane, in space, leaning back, skying England’s best opening over the bar.
Kane did not hide from the reality.
“Yeah, it’s one of those games, a difficult team to break down and obviously we had loads of possession of the ball,” he told the BBC. “Probably the last 15 minutes of both halves we were at our best and had some chances, I had a good chance and hit the bar with Nico [O’Reilly] as well.
“Look, we wanted the win but we take the point and we’re still in a great position in the group.”
One of the main talking points came before a ball was kicked in anger: Djed Spence appearing to snub Partey in the pre-match handshakes. It added another layer of tension to a night that never really caught fire on the pitch.
England leave with a point and control of their destiny, but the swagger of that Croatia win has been replaced by questions about their cutting edge.
Modric hits 200 as Croatia cling on
In Group L’s other game, history met jeopardy.
Luka Modric walked out at BMO Field for his 200th cap, joining one of football’s most exclusive clubs as only the fourth player ever to reach that landmark. The stage was grand; the task was simple: Croatia had to win.
They did, just.
Ante Budimir struck in the 54th minute, his goal enough to secure a 1-0 victory over Panama and keep Croatia alive in the tournament. It was not a vintage Croatian performance, but with elimination looming, the result mattered more than the aesthetics.
Panama’s defeat confirmed their exit from the competition. Modric, meanwhile, marches on, still pulling strings, still defining Croatia’s rhythm at 38, still refusing to let this be his final act on the international stage.
The bracket begins to take shape
Day 13 closed the book on the second round of group fixtures. From tomorrow, the third and final round begins, and with it comes the usual mix of jeopardy, calculators, and tiebreaker clauses.
Several heavyweights and dark horses are already safely through to the round of 32:
- Mexico (Group A)
- United States (Group D)
- Germany (Group E)
- France (Group I)
- Norway (Group I)
- Argentina (Group J)
- Colombia (Group K)
For others, the dream is already over:
- Haiti (Group C)
- Turkey (Group D)
- Tunisia (Group F)
- Jordan (Group J)
- Panama (Group L)
Twelve teams from Groups A to C will discover their fate on Day 14. The maths is brutal but clear: the top two in each group advance automatically, joined by the eight best third-placed teams.
Head-to-head records take priority when teams are level on points, followed by goal difference, then goals scored. If that still cannot separate them, the fair play score steps in – yellow and red cards tallied up, with fewer bookings offering the edge.
Discipline, as much as drama, could decide who stays and who flies home.
Trump and Infantino set for centre stage
Away from the pitch, FIFA confirmed one of the more surreal set pieces of this World Cup’s final act.
US President Donald Trump will present the World Cup trophy to the winners on 19 July, sharing the stage with FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The pair will jointly hand over the sport’s most coveted prize to the victorious captain.
“We will be together with the president [Trump] enjoying the final and handing the trophy to the winner, of course, together,” Infantino told Fox & Friends. “We are together all the time.”
Trump has been here before. He co-presented the Club World Cup trophy with Infantino last year, a ceremony widely mocked after he lingered on the stage and drifted into Chelsea’s celebrations, leaving players looking on in confusion.
This time, the stakes, the stage, and the scrutiny will be far greater.
Vikings on the march
One team already making themselves at home in the knockout rounds is Norway.
Their qualification for the last 32 in Group I came with a familiar flourish: the now-iconic Viking Row celebration, a thunderous, synchronised statement of unity and intent. It was part theatre, part warning. Norway are not here to make up the numbers.
As the final round of group games looms, Ronaldo is scoring, Modric is still ticking, England are searching for fluency, and Norway’s Vikings are gathering pace.
The question now is simple: whose momentum will survive the storm of the last group games, and whose World Cup will be left wrecked on the shore?
