Cristiano Ronaldo ignites Portugal's World Cup campaign

Cristiano Ronaldo roared back into the World Cup with the kind of statement performance only he seems able to summon on demand. Two goals, a 5-0 win, a camera-shaking declaration – and suddenly Portugal’s campaign has a different feel.

Day 13 of World Cup 2026 belonged to him, but it also nudged the tournament into a new phase. The second round of group games is done. The margins now get thinner, the stakes sharper.

Ronaldo ignites Portugal

Roberto Martinez backed his captain again. Same starting role, same focal point, despite the noise that followed Portugal’s laboured 1-1 draw with DR Congo. This time, the debate barely survived six minutes.

Joao Cancelo slid a pass into the inside-right channel, Ronaldo spun, and lashed a finish inside the near post. One touch to set, one to finish, and history in between: he became the first player ever to score in six World Cups.

The goal settled Portugal. It also shifted the mood around their star. The criticism that he slowed the team, that he occupied too much of the play, suddenly felt very distant.

The second goal came from a routine everyone in the stadium expected Ronaldo to own. A free-kick, central, in his range. He stood over it, shaped to strike, then stepped over the ball. Nuno Mendes arrived instead, drilling a low shot from the edge of the box into the corner on 17 minutes. A feint, a decoy, a goal that screamed of a player willing to share the stage.

Portugal were ruthless now. Bruno Fernandes, dictating from midfield, spotted Ronaldo’s run in behind late in the first half and dropped a perfectly weighted pass into his stride. One touch, then a clinical right-foot finish in the 39th minute. Vintage movement, vintage composure.

Uzbekistan unravelled after the break. An own goal on the hour marked the point where resistance turned into damage limitation, and Rafael Leao added the flourish in the 87th minute, his strike completing a five-goal statement.

At full time, Ronaldo strode towards a TV camera and barked into the lens: “I’m back, I’m back.” It felt less like a boast than a warning to everyone else in Group K.

He is now Portugal’s all-time leading scorer at World Cups, moving beyond the legendary Eusebio. The numbers keep stacking up; the message from the man himself stayed familiar.

“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.”

On this evidence, those objectives remain very much alive.

Colombia through as Munoz breaks DR Congo

The other game in Group K never had Portugal’s fireworks, but it had its own kind of tension.

Colombia pushed, probed, and for long stretches found Lionel Mpasi in their way. The DR Congo goalkeeper produced a series of strong interventions, turning away crosses, smothering one-on-ones, and frustrating a Colombian side that knew a win would seal their place in the knockouts.

The pressure finally told in the 76th minute. Daniel Munoz, timing his run and finish to perfection, broke the stalemate and with it DR Congo’s resistance. A 1-0 victory in Guadalajara, hard-earned and decisive, sent Colombia into the round of 32 and tightened the screws on the rest of the group.

England stall, Ghana stand firm

If Portugal’s night crackled with energy, England’s felt flat.

Thomas Tuchel’s side, fresh from a thrilling 4-2 win over Croatia, stumbled to a goalless draw with Ghana in Group L. The contest began with an edge before a ball had been kicked: loud boos greeted Thomas Partey, who is set to stand trial next year for rape and sexual assault, charges he denies.

On the pitch, Ghana showed why they have been one of the most disciplined defensive units at this World Cup. Compact, organised, and unflustered, they strangled England’s rhythm. The first half drifted by without a single shot on target from either side.

England dominated possession but lacked incision. The passing was tidy, the tempo too safe.

Only in bursts did they threaten to break the game open. Substitute Nico O’Reilly came closest, his header crashing against the bar and jolting the match awake. Harry Kane then had the chance to steal it late, but with four minutes left he lifted England’s best opportunity over the bar.

“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 game still found room for controversy. Cameras appeared to catch Djed Spence ignoring Partey in the pre-match handshakes, adding another layer of scrutiny to a night that never truly sparked as a football spectacle.

England leave with a point and a question: was this just a blip in a long group stage, or an early warning about their ability to unpick elite defensive structures?

Modric reaches 200 as Croatia cling on

In Group L’s other match, Croatia needed a response. They got it, just.

Ante Budimir’s goal in the 54th minute secured a narrow 1-0 win over Panama at BMO Field, a result that keeps Croatia alive in the tournament and eliminates the Central Americans.

The finish itself was straightforward; the occasion around it was anything but. This was Luka Modric’s 200th cap for Croatia, a staggering milestone that places him among a tiny, elite group. He is only the fourth player in history to reach that mark.

At 38, he still pulled strings, still demanded the ball, still dictated the tempo when it mattered. The game may not feature on any end-of-tournament highlight reels, but for Croatia and for Modric, it could yet prove a turning point.

The bracket takes shape

Day 13 closed the book on the second round of group fixtures. The picture is sharpening.

Several heavyweights are already through to the round of 32: Mexico from Group A, the United States from Group D, Germany from Group E, and a powerful double act in Group I with France and Norway. Argentina are safely through from Group J, and Colombia’s win over DR Congo secured their passage from Group K.

At the other end, the first casualties have fallen. Haiti (Group C), Turkey (Group D), Tunisia (Group F), Jordan (Group J), and Panama (Group L) are out.

Day 14 will be brutal. Twelve teams from Groups A to C will discover whether they stay or go. The rules are clear, the permutations less so.

The top two in each group qualify automatically, joined by the eight best third-placed teams. Head-to-head results serve as the primary tiebreaker for sides level on points, ahead of goal difference and then goals scored. If teams still cannot be separated, discipline comes into play: the fair play score, calculated from yellow and red cards, rewards those who have walked the line without crossing it.

Margins will be tiny. A late booking, a needless foul, a moment of rashness could yet decide a World Cup destiny.

Trump to hand over the trophy

Off the pitch, FIFA confirmed a striking image for the final act of this tournament.

President Gianni Infantino announced that US President Donald Trump will present the World Cup trophy at the final on 19 July. The pair will jointly hand the trophy to the winning 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 already had a taste of the role. Last year he co-presented the FIFA Club World Cup trophy with Infantino, a ceremony that drew ridicule when he failed to leave the stage and drifted into Chelsea’s celebrations, leaving players visibly bemused.

The world’s cameras will be waiting to see how this one plays out.

Norway’s Viking roar

Norway, meanwhile, marched into the knockout rounds and did it their way.

Qualification from Group I came with a familiar sight: the squad lining up in front of their fans to unleash their viral Viking Row celebration. Arms linked, bodies dropping in unison, a thunderous roar from players and supporters alike.

It was more than a meme. It felt like a statement from a team that believes it belongs deep in this tournament.

The second round is over. Ronaldo has re-entered the stage, Colombia have joined the qualifiers, Modric has reached a landmark few will ever touch, and England have been reminded that reputations don’t win group games.

From here, every mistake, every card, every half-chance will carry a little more weight. Who handles that pressure best?