Ronaldo Ignites Portugal's World Cup Campaign

Cristiano Ronaldo roared his way back into the World Cup story on Day 13. Two ruthless finishes, one emphatic message into a TV camera – and suddenly Portugal’s campaign looks very different.

Across a sprawling day that wrapped up the second round of group fixtures, England stalled, Croatia clung on, Colombia advanced, and the knockout picture sharpened. The tournament, though, briefly belonged to a 41-year-old who refuses to loosen his grip on the spotlight.

Ronaldo ignites Portugal – and the World Cup

The debate over Roberto Martinez’s loyalty to Cristiano Ronaldo lasted all of six minutes.

Kept in the XI after a laboured draw with DR Congo, Ronaldo justified every ounce of that faith almost immediately. Joao Cancelo slipped a pass into the box, Ronaldo spun sharply, and drove a low finish inside the near post. Six World Cups, six tournaments scored in. No one has done that before.

From there, Portugal played like a team released.

Ronaldo then stepped away from the limelight for a moment to create it for someone else. Over a free-kick, everyone in the stadium expected the trademark knuckleball. Instead, he ran over the ball, leaving it for Nuno Mendes to whip in a crisp strike from the edge of the area on 17 minutes. A clever routine, perfectly executed, that underlined Ronaldo’s role as more than just a finisher.

Uzbekistan never recovered. Bruno Fernandes slid in a beautifully weighted pass six minutes before the break and Ronaldo burst through, timing his run and his finish with brutal precision for 3-0. Another clinical strike, another record nudged further out of reach: he is now Portugal’s all-time leading scorer at World Cups, moving beyond Eusebio.

The pressure told again on the hour as Uzbekistan turned into their own net, and Rafael Leao added a late fifth in the 87th minute to complete a 5-0 demolition that felt like a statement as much as a scoreline.

At full-time, Ronaldo went straight to the nearest camera and barked his verdict: “I’m back, I’m back.” It sounded less like a boast and more like a warning.

Later, his tone softened but his focus didn’t. “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.”

Portugal, suddenly, look like they know exactly what those objectives are.

Colombia edge through as Munoz breaks DR Congo

The other game in Group K carried less glamour but just as much jeopardy.

Colombia pushed and prodded DR Congo in Guadalajara, only to keep running into Lionel Mpasi. The DRC goalkeeper produced a string of saves that kept his side alive and turned the match into a test of Colombian nerve.

It took until the 76th minute for the resistance to crack. Daniel Munoz finally found the breakthrough, his finish ending a stalemate that had threatened to frustrate Nestor Lorenzo’s side deep into the night.

That 1-0 win sends Colombia into the round of 32 with a game to spare. They join the growing list of nations already safely through: Mexico, United States, Germany, France, Norway, Argentina and now Colombia.

England’s attack goes flat in Ghana stalemate

If Portugal’s evening fizzed, England’s barely sparked.

Thomas Tuchel’s team, fresh from a 4-2 thriller against Croatia, laboured to a goalless draw with Ghana in Group L. This was a match that began with hostility and never really found a rhythm.

The loudest sound in the opening minutes came from the stands. Boos rained down on Thomas Partey, who is set to stand trial next year for rape and sexual assault – charges he denies. The atmosphere turned jagged, and the football followed.

Ghana, one of the most organised defensive units at this World Cup, set their lines and refused to budge. England had the ball, but not the ideas. The first half ended without a single shot on target from either side, a damning statistic for a team brimming with Premier League attacking talent.

Tuchel shuffled his pack and the tempo finally lifted. Substitute Nico O’Reilly came closest, his header clattering the bar. Then, with four minutes left, the chance England had been waiting for fell to Harry Kane. The captain leant back and sent it over. The groan from the England end told its own story.

“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 football wasn’t the only talking point. Cameras appeared to catch Djed Spence ignoring Partey during the pre-match handshakes, an image that will linger as the off-field scrutiny around Ghana’s midfielder continues.

England leave with a point and control of their destiny, but also with fresh questions about their cutting edge when the game slows and the space tightens.

Modric hits 200 as Croatia cling on

Group L’s other game belonged to a different kind of legend.

At BMO Field, Luka Modric walked out for Croatia for the 200th time, joining an elite group as only the fourth player in history to reach that milestone. The occasion demanded a performance, and the 38-year-old delivered one more masterclass in tempo and timing.

Croatia needed the win. Panama needed a miracle to stay alive. The tension hung over a tight contest until the 54th minute, when Ante Budimir finally broke through with a close-range finish for 1-0.

From there, Modric took charge of the clock. He dropped deep to collect, drifted wide to escape pressure, and kept Croatia ticking just fast enough to keep Panama at arm’s length. It was not spectacular, but it was exactly what his country required to stay in the tournament.

Panama’s defeat confirms their elimination, joining Haiti, Turkey, Tunisia and Jordan on the list of teams already out. Croatia, by contrast, drag themselves into the final round of group games still swinging.

Knockout race sharpens as groups tighten

Day 13 closed the book on the second round of group fixtures. From tomorrow, there is no more safety net. Every side will play its final group match knowing exactly what is at stake.

Several heavyweights have already booked their passage to the round of 32: Mexico from Group A; United States from Group D; Germany from Group E; France and Norway from Group I; Argentina from Group J; and Colombia from Group K.

At the other end, the door has slammed shut on Haiti (Group C), Turkey (Group D), Tunisia (Group F), Jordan (Group J) and Panama (Group L).

The maths now becomes brutal. The top two in each group advance automatically, joined by the eight best third-placed teams. With head-to-head records used as the primary tiebreaker for sides level on points – before goal difference, then goals scored – every direct duel takes on extra weight. If teams still cannot be separated, the fair play score steps in, punishing yellow and red cards and rewarding discipline.

Twelve teams from Groups A to C will discover their fate on Day 14. For some, a single booking or a squandered chance from earlier in the week could yet decide their World Cup.

Trump to hand over the trophy

Away from the pitch, FIFA confirmed a headline-grabbing detail for the final.

US President Donald Trump will present the World Cup trophy to the winners on 19 July, sharing the stage with FIFA president Gianni Infantino. “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 and Infantino previously co-presented the Club World Cup trophy last year, an awkward ceremony remembered for Trump lingering on the stage and appearing to gatecrash Chelsea’s celebrations.

This time, the stakes – and the spotlight – will be far greater.

Norway’s Viking roar

Not all celebrations were scripted in a boardroom.

Norway sealed their place in the knockout rounds and marked it in the most Norwegian way possible. The now-viral Viking Row made its World Cup bow, players and staff crouched in front of their fans, driving their arms in unison as the noise surged around them.

It was part party, part warning. The Vikings are through, and they are not sneaking quietly into the last 32.

Day 13 ended with Ronaldo’s voice echoing around the world: “I’m back.” The question now is who answers him in the days ahead – and who gets left behind as the groups finally give way to the cut-throat chaos of knockout football.