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Four matches. Three records. One miss that will be criticised for weeks. June 24 opened with Cristiano Ronaldo becoming the first man in history to score in six different World Cup editions, and closed with Colombia as the sole leader of Group K. In between: a 200th cap for Luka Modrić, a goalkeeper who made seven saves and still ended up on the losing side, and Ghana holding England to a draw.
Portugal 5-0 Uzbekistan — Houston, 10:30 PM IST (Jun 23)
Cristiano Ronaldo turned to the camera at full-time and said two words: “I’m back.” He had just scored twice in a 5-0 demolition that silenced every critic who had questioned him after Portugal’s 1-1 draw with DR Congo. His sixth-minute opener — a near-post finish from a João Cancelo cross — broke his major tournament drought. His second in the 39th minute, slotting a Bruno Fernandes through-ball past the keeper, was his 10th World Cup goal, surpassing Eusébio as Portugal’s all-time leading scorer at the tournament.
Most remarkably: that first goal made Ronaldo the first footballer in history to score in six different World Cup editions. 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026. Twenty years of scoring at the highest level. Nuno Mendes added a free-kick beauty in the 17th minute, an Uzbekistan own goal made it 4-0, and substitute Rafael Leão rounded off the scoring with a composed finish in the 87th minute. Ronaldo was denied a hat-trick by a stunning double save and a goal-line clearance in the 75th minute — but he was not complaining. Neither was Portugal.
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England 0-0 Ghana — Boston, 1:30 AM IST
England had 72% of the ball and failed to score. Thomas Tuchel’s side dominated possession against a Ghana squad who defended with discipline and refused to give England the spaces they needed. The first half produced no shots on target from either side — a first for this FIFA World Cup 2026™. Anthony Gordon registered England’s first effort in the 57th minute; it was comfortably held. Saka and teenager Nico O’Reilly came on in the 65th minute to inject urgency.
In the 87th minute, O’Reilly’s thumping header cannoned off the crossbar from a Reece James cross. The ball fell to Harry Kane. Seven yards. Open goal. He blazed it over the bar. Marc Guéhi’s header was then cleared off the line in the frantic finale. The whistle went. Two points dropped. The Kane miss will be discussed for days. England’s recurring inability to break down a deep defensive block remains the question nobody has answered.
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Croatia 1-0 Panama — Toronto, 4:30 AM IST
Luka Modrić walked out at BMO Field for his 200th international appearance. Croatia needed him. A second consecutive defeat would have left them with no realistic path to the knockout rounds, and Panama were stubborn. José Luis Rodríguez’s header in the 23rd minute drew a breathtaking fingertip save from Dominik Livaković that deflected the ball onto the crossbar. Zlatko Dalić made a double change at half-time, bringing on Kramarić and Ante Budimir, and the adjustment paid off within nine minutes: Budimir tapped in a Stanišić cross at the far post. Croatia held on. Panama are eliminated. Croatia are alive.
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Colombia 1-0 DR Congo — Guadalajara, 7:30 AM IST
Colombia dominated from start to finish and had to wait until the 76th minute to break through — entirely because of DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, who produced seven saves across the 90 minutes, including a crucial stop from Luis Díaz in the 50th minute and an early denial of Daniel Muñoz that led to an offside flag on the follow-up. Colombia registered nine shots on target. Mpasi stopped seven. The ninth — Muñoz in the 76th — found the net. Colombia are through to the Round of 32.
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The Day’s Talking Points
Ronaldo’s six-World-Cup record is the headline of the night, and it deserves to be. This is not a record that expands with format changes or more matches — it requires twenty years at the top, uninterrupted. He is 41 years old. He is still doing it. His “I’m back” to the camera was not bravado; it was a statement of fact.
England’s draw is the other conversation. The Kane miss will dominate, but the deeper problem is the system — how do England break down a team that refuses to come out? They have one group game left to find the answer before the knockouts make the question unavoidable.
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