Cristiano Ronaldo Shines in Portugal's Victory
Cristiano Ronaldo roared his way back into this World Cup with the kind of performance that bends a tournament to his will.
On Day 13 in North America, Portugal’s captain scored twice in a 5-0 demolition of Uzbekistan, became the first man to score in six World Cups, and walked off yelling into a TV camera: “I’m back, I’m back.” It felt less like a boast and more like a warning.
Around him, the group stage tightened. England stalled. Croatia clung on. Colombia marched through. And the knockout picture began to sharpen at the edges.
Ronaldo ignites Portugal
Roberto Martinez had stuck his neck out. After criticism for starting Ronaldo in the laboured 1-1 draw with DR Congo, the Portugal coach doubled down and kept faith with his 39‑year‑old star.
Six minutes later, the decision looked like the most obvious call in football.
Joao Cancelo slid a pass into the inside-right channel, Ronaldo spun, and smashed his finish inside the near post. One touch to set, one to finish, and another page added to a record book already bloated with his name.
From there, he controlled the stage without needing to dominate every touch. When Portugal won a free-kick on the edge of the box, the stadium braced for the trademark knuckleball. Instead, Ronaldo ran over the ball and left it for Nuno Mendes, who whipped in the second from distance on 17 minutes. A feint, a decoy, a goal. The ego everyone talks about took a back seat to the team move.
The third, though, was pure Ronaldo. Bruno Fernandes split Uzbekistan’s back line with a perfectly weighted pass, Ronaldo burst clear and finished clinically in the 39th minute. The old acceleration may not be what it once was, but the timing and ruthlessness remain untouched.
By then, Uzbekistan were broken. An own goal on the hour mark deepened the damage, and Rafael Leao’s late strike in the 87th minute turned a comfortable win into a statement scoreline. Five goals, five different ways to hurt you.
Ronaldo’s brace carried extra weight. He moved past Eusebio to become Portugal’s all-time top scorer at World Cups, a landmark he acknowledged but refused to dwell on.
“I’m very happy but, for me, the most important thing is our work and the confidence we showed,” he said. Personal milestones, he insisted, sit behind team objectives. On this evidence, both are very much alive.
Portugal’s win, paired with Colombia’s progress, tightens the race at the top of Group K. The knockout rounds are now in clear sight.
Munoz delivers as Colombia advance
For 76 minutes in Guadalajara, Colombia hammered away at a DR Congo side held together by their goalkeeper.
Lionel Mpasi turned in the performance of his life, parrying, tipping and smothering as Colombia poured forward. Every attack seemed to end with the same image: yellow shirts with hands on heads, Mpasi on his feet again.
The resistance finally cracked with 14 minutes left. Daniel Munoz found the decisive touch, steering in the goal that gave Colombia a 1-0 win and, crucially, sealed their place in the round of 32 from Group K.
It was a narrow scoreline that did not reflect Colombia’s control, but at this stage, control matters less than confirmation. Their name is already on the knockout bracket. Others are still sweating.
England lose their spark
Four days after a wild 4-2 win over Croatia, England turned up flat.
Thomas Tuchel’s side laboured to a 0-0 draw with Ghana in Group L, a game that will be remembered less for chances and more for the mood surrounding it.
The tone was set before kick-off. Boos rang around the stadium for Thomas Partey, Ghana’s midfield anchor, who is due to stand trial next year for rape and sexual assault. He denies the charges, but the reaction from sections of the crowd was loud and pointed. Cameras also picked up what appeared to be Djed Spence refusing to shake Partey’s hand in the pre-match line-up, adding another layer of tension to an already charged evening.
Once the whistle went, the football struggled to cut through the noise. Ghana, one of the most disciplined defensive outfits at this World Cup, set their line, held their shape and suffocated England’s rhythm. The first half drifted by without a single shot on target from either side.
Tuchel’s team had the ball. Ghana had the plan.
Only in flashes did England threaten to break it. Substitute Nico O’Reilly came closest, his header crashing off the bar, while Harry Kane, usually so reliable in these moments, skied England’s best chance with four minutes remaining.
“Yeah, it’s one of those games, a difficult team to break down and obviously we had loads of possession of the ball,” Kane 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.”
The point keeps England well placed, but the performance strips away some of the swagger from that earlier win over Croatia. As the final round of group games looms, Tuchel has problems to solve in the final third.
Modric hits 200 as Croatia cling on
While England stuttered, Croatia simply survived.
Ante Budimir’s 54th-minute goal at BMO Field gave them a 1-0 victory over Panama in Group L and kept their tournament alive. It was hardly vintage Croatia, but it did not need to be.
The night belonged to Luka Modric. The 38-year-old collected his 200th cap, becoming only the fourth player in history to reach that milestone for his country. He did not treat it as a lap of honour. He treated it like every other game: directing traffic, demanding the ball, dictating tempo.
Panama, already on the brink, could not find a way past him or the Croatian back line. Their defeat confirmed their elimination from the tournament, while Croatia live to fight another day.
The margins are thin now. One goal keeps you breathing; one mistake can send you home.
Knockout picture starts to form
Day 13 wrapped up the second round of group fixtures. From tomorrow, the final round begins, and with it comes the full weight of consequence.
Some nations can already relax, at least for a night. Mexico (Group A), United States (Group D), Germany (Group E), France (Group I), Norway (Group I), Argentina (Group J) and Colombia (Group K) are safely through to the round of 32. Others know their journey is over: Haiti (Group C), Turkey (Group D), Tunisia (Group F), Jordan (Group J) and Panama (Group L) have been eliminated.
Twelve teams from Groups A to C will discover their fate on Day 14. The equation is simple on paper, brutal in practice: the top two in each group qualify automatically, joined by the eight best third-placed sides.
Head-to-head records come first when teams are level on points, followed by goal difference, then goals scored. If the numbers still cannot separate them, discipline decides it. The fair play score – calculated from yellow and red cards – could yet push a nation into the knockouts or drag them out.
In a tournament where a mistimed tackle might cost you more than just a free-kick, every decision now carries weight.
Trump to hand over the trophy
Away from the pitch, FIFA confirmed the image that will close the tournament.
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 the trophy 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. Last year, he co-presented the Club World Cup trophy with Infantino, an appearance widely mocked after he lingered on the stage and appeared to join in Chelsea’s celebrations, leaving players visibly unsure how to react.
This time, the spotlight – and the stakes – will be far greater.
Vikings on the march
Norway’s job was more straightforward. They booked their place in the knockout stages and marked it with a now-familiar sight: the viral Viking Row celebration.
The players lined up, dropped to the turf and “rowed” in unison in front of their fans, a choreographed show of unity that has become one of the tournament’s defining images. It is theatre, yes, but it is also a message.
They are not here to make up the numbers. They are here to raid.
As the final round of group matches looms, Ronaldo is scoring, Modric is still dictating, England are searching for fluency, and Colombia and Norway are already through. The bracket is taking shape, but the real question hangs over the teams still stuck in the middle: when everything tightens and the margins vanish, who steps forward next?
