FIFA World Cup recap: Ronaldo’s record, Iran’s slight relief & England’s misery

Cristiano Ronaldo finally got on the score-sheet in a 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 got to 10 World Cup goals which helped him move past Portugal legend Eusebio’s tally of 9, making him the country’s leading goal-scorer in the World Cup. Ronaldo also became the second-oldest player to score at a World Cup behind Cameroon forward Roger Milla, who was 42 when he scored at the 1994 tournament in the United States.

With his place in the Portugal side hotly debated after the 1-1 draw against Congo, Ronaldo roared back with the brace which silenced his critics and helped his team win 5-0.

“But it’s always like that,” he said in Portuguese, responding to the criticism he faced. “It doesn’t matter, because it’s been 23 years on the job and when things go well, ’Cristiano is good,’ when things go bad, ‘Cristiano is a retired player, is old.’ It will always be like that. But we responded well today, me and my teammates, which is what we wanted.”

England shut out

Harry Kane and their galaxy of attacking talents were kept quiet by a resolute Ghana side with both teams sharing points after a 0-0 draw. Things were so dire in the game where chances came at a premium that it became first match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup not to have a single shot on target in the first half.

England had a chance late in the match when Nico O’Reilly hit the bar, with the ball falling to Harry Kane who smashed his shot over the bar. “One of those games. Difficult team to break down. We were probably 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 that more often than not – and Nico hit the bar. Look, we wanted to win but we take the point and we’re still in a great position in the group,” Kane said after the match.

Midfielder Declan Rice also said that there was no need to panic. “Loads of top nations drew their first game. There’s no need to be negative or downbeat. We need to stay positive and that’s what we’ll do,” he said.

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Croatia almost through, Panama’s race is run

On the other hand, Croatia have all but managed to book a spot for themselves in the Round of 32 with a 1-0 win over Panama in the other Group L match of the day. While Panama defended with whatever they had, Ante Budimir’s 54th minute put Croatia ahead and they never let go of the lead. Josip Stanisic lifted a curving cross onto the boot of Ante Budimir, who tapped it into an open net. The victory doesn’t confirm a spot in knockouts for Croatia but they are the frontrunners now to go through with England and Ghana playing out a goalless draw.

After a slow-moving first half at 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. The Vatreni nearly added another goal three minutes later when 40-year-old Luka Modric — making his 200th international appearance — passed ahead to Marco Pasalic on a breakaway, but Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera blocked Pasalic’s shot.

Panama had three straight chances in the 67th minute to knot things up. Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made a trio of dazzling saves; on the third, he just managed to get a hand on the ball and send it over the net. Group L will be decided on Saturday, with England and Ghana tied at four points and Croatia with three. England will face Los Canaleros in East Rutherford, New Jersey, while Ghana and Croatia will play in Philadelphia.

USA ease Iran’s travel restrictions

The U.S. on Wednesday said it’ll be easing its restrictions on Iran’s World Cup team, allowing the squad to travel into the country two days before its next match, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday. The team will still be required to leave after Friday’s match in Seattle, a department spokesperson said. A spokesperson for the Iran Football Federation confirmed that the team will leave its base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, on Wednesday for Seattle.

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“This was planned on our end,” Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, told The Associated Press. “We were going to look at how the first two movements went, and if they went smoothly, we would extend the extra day in light of the longer travel time.”

Iran’s squad has complained about the travel restrictions levied on the team, and the challenges it has faced since the outbreak of war. Iran originally sought to move its group stage matches to Mexico, with whom it has diplomatic ties. The team’s base camp was relocated from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana. Several team officials and members of the support staff have been barred from traveling into the U.S. with the team. For the first two matches, in Los Angeles, the team was not permitted to travel until the day before, which Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei repeatedly said put the team at a disadvantage. The team had less than 24 hours on the ground before its noon match Sunday.