The Football Faithful
·24 giugno 2026
World Cup Day 13: Ronaldo proves point, England snooze fest

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Yahoo sportsThe Football Faithful
·24 giugno 2026

Matchday 13 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 saw Cristiano Ronaldo joint the big-name party, and England given a reality check.
We’ve recapped all the happenings from Tuesday’s action, including what you may have missed overnight.
I’m back was the message from Cristiano Ronaldo, following Portugal’s 5-0 thumping of Uzbekistan. Few footballers have faced such scrutiny in the tournament’s opening days, with Portugal’s draw with DR Congo prompting calls for Ronaldo to be dropped.
The 41-year-old responded in Ronaldo fashion, with two goals in a five-goal thumping. Ronaldo’s double saw him become the first player in history to score in six editions of the World Cup.
Ronaldo had gone 10 games without a goal in major tournaments, stretching back to November 2022, before netting his first of the afternoon and now joins Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland in making his mark in North America.
The big names are all turning up, and Ronaldo is determined to remain right among them.
England’s four-goal win over Croatia was the sort of performance we haven’t been accustomed to with the Three Lions at tournaments. Entertaining and attacking, England were a complete contrast against Ghana on Tuesday.
Carlos Queiroz’s side set up to frustrate and executed the plan to a tee, with England unable to find a route past the deep defensive lines.
Ghana could, and perhaps should, have even won it. Some questionable refereeing saw Jordan Pickford and Ezri Konsa escape with rash challenges that could have made a drab draw even worse for Thomas Tuchel.
After losing a six-goal thriller to England in their opening fixture, Croatia had no margin for error against minnows Panama. The Central American nation pushed Ghana all the way in the first fixtures and proved stubborn again this time around.
Substitute Ante Budimir got the only goal, turning in from Josip Stanisic’s cross just eight minutes after his arrival from the bench. The veteran’s winner has set up a shootout with Ghana in fixture three.
Crystal Palace fans are used to seeing Daniel Munoz maraud into attacking areas. The wing-back has been a regular threat in South London in recent seasons and has continued that form for the national team this summer.
After ghosting into the box to score against Uzbekistan, Munoz was at is again against DR Congo overnight. The defender found himself free to fire in the only goal of the game, and ensure Colombia’s progress with a game to spare.
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