Cristiano Ronaldo He got on the scoresheet in the last World Cup match since his last strike against Ghana in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. With his first goal against Uzbekistan, the Portuguese icon created history by becoming the only male player to score in six different editions of the World Cup.
With his second goal, Ronaldo also reached 10 World Cup goals, helping him surpass Portugal legend Eusebio’s tally of 9, making him the country’s leading goalscorer at the World Cup. Ronaldo became the second-oldest player to score at the World Cup behind Cameroon forward Roger Milla, who was 42 when he scored at the 1994 tournament in the United States.
After his place in the Portugal squad was hotly debated after a 1-1 draw against Congo, Ronaldo roared back with a brace that silenced his critics and helped his side to a 5-0 win.
“But it’s always like this,” he said in Portuguese, responding to criticism of him. “It doesn’t matter, because it’s been 23 years in the job and when things are good, ‘Cristiano is good’, when things are bad, ‘Cristiano is a retired player, old.’ It will always be like this. But today me and my teammates responded well, that’s what we wanted.”
England shut down
Harry Kane and his galaxy of attacking talent were kept quiet by a determined Ghanaian side and the two teams shared the points after a 0-0 draw. Things were so dire in this game which featured a lot of chances that it became the first match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup to go without a shot on target in the first half.
England had a chance late in the match when Nico O’Reilly hit the bar, the ball fell to Harry Kane who hit his shot over the bar. “One of those games. Teams are hard to break down. We were at our best in the last 15 minutes of each half. I had a big chance at the end – I’m backing myself to score more times than that – and Nico hit the bar. Look, we wanted to win but we took the point and we’re still in a good position in the group,” Kane said after the match.
Midfielder Declan Rice also said there is no need to panic. “Many leading nations drew their first match. No need to be negative or disappointed. We need to be positive and that’s what we will do,” he said.
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Croatia almost overtakes Panama
Croatia, on the other hand, booked their place in the round of 32 with a 1-0 win over Panama in the day’s other Group L match. While Panama defended with all they had, Croatia took the lead in the 54th minute through Ante Budimir and did not relinquish the lead. Josip Stanisic lifted a curving cross onto the boot of Ante Budimir, who slotted it into an open net. The win did not seal Croatia’s place in the knockout stages, but they are now ahead of goalless draws with England and Ghana.
After a slow first half at the BMO Field, Croatia broke through Panama’s strong back line after the break, with substitute Budimir finding the net just four minutes after coming on. 40-year-old Luka Modric added another goal three minutes later when 40-year-old Luka Modric – making his 200th international appearance – headed past Marko Pasalic on a breakaway, but Pasalic’s shot was blocked by Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera.
Panama had three consecutive chances in the 67th minute. Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made a trio of brilliant saves; On the third, he just managed to get his hands on the ball and send it into the net. Group L will be decided on Saturday, with England and Ghana tied on four points and Croatia on three. England will face Los Canaleros in East Rutherford, New Jersey, while Ghana and Croatia will meet in Philadelphia.
US eases travel restrictions on Iran
The United States said on Wednesday it would ease sanctions on Iran’s World Cup team and allow the team to travel to the country two days before its next match, the US Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday. A department spokesman said the team was required to leave after Friday’s game in Seattle. A spokesman for the Iran Football Federation confirmed the team will leave its base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, for Seattle on Wednesday.
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“It was planned by us,” Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House FIFA task force, told The Associated Press. “We were going to see how the first two moves went, and if they go well, we’ll add an extra day in light of the extra travel time.”
The Iranian team has complained about the travel restrictions imposed on the team and the challenges it has faced since the start of the war. Iran originally sought to move its group stage matches to Mexico, with which it has diplomatic ties. The team’s base camp was moved from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana. Several team officials and members of the support staff have been barred from traveling to the US with the team. For the first two matches, in Los Angeles, the team was not allowed to travel until the day before, which Iran’s coach Amir Galenoi repeatedly said put the team at a disadvantage. The team had less than 24 hours on the field before Sunday afternoon’s game.