Matchday seven of the 2026 FIFA World Cup got underway with Congo DR making history with a 1-1 draw against Portugal in Houston.
England defeated European rivals Croatia 4-2 in a high-octane Group L contest in Dallas, while Ghana snatched a 1-0 win at the death against Panama in Toronto.
The action on Thursday AEST concluded with World Cup debutant Uzbekistan going down to Colombia 3-1 in Mexico City.
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FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 SCHEDULE WITH AEST START TIMES AND DATES
MATCH CENTRE: Portugal 1-1 Congo DR
MATCH CENTRE: England 4-2 Croatia
MATCH CENTRE: Ghana 1-0 Panama
MATCH CENTRE: Uzbekistan 1-3 Colombia
KANE’S DOUBLE AFTER EARLY CONTROVERSY
Harry Kane scored twice in the first half as England eventually saw off Croatia 4-2 to launch their World Cup title assault in Texas on Wednesday.
Jude Bellingham, immediately after half-time, and substitute Marcus Rashford with five minutes to go ensured a winning start for Thomas Tuchel’s side after Croatia had fought back to level at 2-2.
The prolific Kane twice put England ahead in the first half – one a retaken penalty – only for Martin Baturina and Petar Musa to hit back for 2018 runners-up Croatia.
With both sides shaky at the back, the second half threatened another goal glut, Bellingham needing just two minutes to put England ahead again in front of a crowd of 70,000.
England put 4 past Croatia in Dallas | 01:27
England had numerous chances to extend their lead immediately after, but did not take them until Rashford popped up.
The meeting was a repeat of the 2018 semi-final, which Croatia won 2-1 after extra-time, although England have since had the edge against one of the older squads at the tournament in North America.
Thomas Tuchel’s side, bidding to deliver England a first major trophy since 1966, made a nervy start in front of a packed house at the impressive air-conditioned home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Then the drama came. Croatia’s talismanic captain Luka Modric dangled out a leg and caught Noni Madueke in the box.
Kane saw his unconvincing penalty saved by Dominik Livakovic, only for French referee Clement Turpin to order a retake after video replays deemed the stopper had come off his line.
“It’s tiny, it’s minimal but you can see between the white of the line and the heel of Dominik Livakovic’s boot, there’s green,“ former England goalkeeper Joe Hart told the BBC.
“He’s definitely off his line.”
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Turpin once sent off Tuchel in the Champions League and the referee taking charge of the game had been highlighted by English media this week.
Bayern Munich predator Kane held his nerve second time around, again going to Livakovic’s left but this time in more ruthless fashion to give England the lead after 12 minutes.
“When I watched the clips I saw he likes to move early, so I knew that there was a chance that if I did the stutter that he would come off the line,” Kane told BBC Sport later.
“I was 80 per cent sure that it was off the line, I wasn’t 100 per cent sure, then obviously when it got retaken I changed the technique a little bit. This is all why I do the research, and in the end it worked out nicely for me.”
Some pundits, however, weren’t impressed with Kane’s stutter-step run up.
“(It) should be banned,” former Ghana star Kevin-Prince Boateng said on SBS.
Loud boos rang out for the drinks break, given the match was under a roof and not the unforgiving Texas sun.
On the half-hour England should have gone 2-0 up, Bellingham narrowly failing to make contact with Madueke’s delicious low cross.
On 36 minutes Croatia drew level.
England squandered the ball in midfield, then Petar Sucic left John Stones on the floor with some neat footwork to set up Baturina.
The 23-year-old met the ball first time and whipped it past Jordan Pickford, who got a hand to the ball.
Zlatko Dalic’s side were level for just six minutes as a Declan Rice corner found Kane unmarked and the captain nodded home.
It took skipper Kane to 10 World Cup goals, the most of any England player along with Gary Lineker.
Tuchel, who has made it clear that winning the World Cup is his aim, barely smiled.
Putting the seal on a frenetic first half, Musa took advantage of more poor England defending in the fifth minute of injury time to stroke the ball in from close range for 2-2.
The second half started just as the first ended — with a goal — as Bellingham galloped down the right unchallenged and rolled the ball into the corner.
Kane and Nico O’Reilly twice each, and Bellingham, had good chances for a 4-2 lead as England pummelled the Croatia goal.
With 15 minutes left and England retreating, Croatia had several opportunities, before Rashford made the three points safe.
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GHANA’S LATE STUNNER
Ghana scored a dramatic 1-0 victory over Panama in their opening World Cup Group L clash in Toronto on Wednesday.
Caleb Yirenkyi bundled in the winning goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time, sending thousands of Ghanaians in Canada’s largest city into a frenzy and settling an otherwise attritional battle.
Both sides largely struggled to generate chances in the first half after Panama striker Cecilio Waterma’s second minute attempt was steered away by outstretched Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi.
The Black Stars didn’t attempt a shot on goal through the first half. The second half played out under steady rain at the Toronto Stadium but saw more sustained attacking play.
Cristian Martinez triggered a massive roar from the loud Panamanian contingent when he lashed a shot into the side-netting in the 60th minute.
But the match looked headed for a scoreless draw until Yirenkyi put the Black Stars ahead.
Ghana’s veteran coach Carlos Queiroz turned to his side’s fans after the goal, urging them on in celebration.
Queiroz only took charge of the Black Stars a couple of months before the start of the tournament.
Wednesday’s fixture made him only the second coach to appear in five consecutive World Cups, after leading Portugal in 2010 and Iran in 2014, 2018 and 2022.
Loud boos rang out across the crowd of nearly 43,000 during a second-half hydration break under pouring rain.
Ghana triumphed despite being without Villarreal midfielder Thomas Partey, who is facing trial on rape charges in Britain. Canadian authorities denied him a World Cup visa, over the British case.
Ronaldo leaves teammate FRUSTRATED | 00:17
RONALDO’S DREADFUL WORLD CUP OPENER
Cristiano Ronaldo endured a terrible start to the 2026 World Cup as Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw with DR Congo on Wednesday.
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Joao Neves headed Roberto Martinez’s side in front early on.
However, Portugal failed to build upon their early lead as the African outfit equalised through Yoane Wissa on the strokeof half time.
Portugal enjoyed the lion’s share of possession but were unable to break the Leopards down.
One of the pre-tournament favourites, Portugal, mustered just seven shots across the 90 minutes, while their only effort ontarget was Neves’ sixth-minute opener.
DR Congo hold Portugal to draw | 01:15
Ronaldo, meanwhile, fired off three shots against DR Congo, none of which troubled DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi.
The 41-year-old endured a match to forget as he managed just 25 touches, the fewest he has ever had in a major tournament game when he has played the full 90 minutes.
His 25 touches was also the joint-fewest, level with defender Axel Tuanzebe, in the 1-1 draw against DR Congo, of those to play the whole game.
For context, Lionel Messi managed 57 touches in his stunning performance against Algeria, while Kylian Mbappe touched the ball 37 times in his record-breaking two-goal salvo against Senegal.
Interestingly, Erling Haaland only had 20 touches on his World Cup debut, but still managed to score twice in Norway’s 4-1win over Iraq.
Additionally, Ronaldo failed to complete a dribble and didn’t create a chance for his teammates during an ineffective showing in Portugal’s Group K clash.
It is not just a poor start for Ronaldo against his fellow big-name superstars, it is a continuation of his dismal showings at major tournaments in recent years.
The Al-Nassr forward, who is 31 goals away from netting 1,000 career goals, failed to hit the back of the net at Euro 2024two years ago, despite having the second most shots in Germany.
Ronaldo was also poor in Portugal’s pre-tournament friendly wins over Chile and Nigeria, games in which the highlight reels on socialmedia consisted of comical misses.
It remains to be seen now how Portugal and head coach Martinez react for their second group stage game against Uzbekistan.
The tournament debutants take on Colombia in the early hours of Thursday morning (UK time) as they look to make a splash in North America.
Portugal then round off their group stage campaign with a game against Colombia later this month in their bid to win the World Cup for the first time.
talkSPORT verdict: ‘He offered nothing’ Former Ireland forward and talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino, who twice led the line for the Boys in Green at a World Cup, tore into Ronaldo and Portugal boss Martinez at full-time on Wednesday.
Speaking live on talkSPORT 2’s live coverage, Cass said: “I’m trying to be as kind as I can… but he [Ronaldo] was really off it. And he just looks like time has caught up with him.
“He hasn’t got the pace. He’s not even got the energy to pick up the ball. “I remember Ronaldo as that winger that just got the ball and drove at people. Ok, he’s aged, he’s not that type of player anymore, but he offered nothing to the Portuguese team.
“I can’t believe Martinez has kept him on. I’m thinking, ‘This is your job – does he just want to keep friends with Ronaldo? Do you want to stay on his side?’ “You’ve got to take people off. If that’s the decision that improves the team and gives the best chance of winning, you’ve got to make it as a manager. “And I know he’s going to leave at the end of this term. This felt like it’s a manager just going, ‘I’m gonna stay pals with my mate Ronaldo’.”
COLOMBIA POWER PAST DEBUTANTS
Colombia beat World Cup debutants Uzbekistan 3-1 in their opening Group K game on Wednesday thanks to an inspired performance from Luis Diaz at the Estadio Azteca.
The Bayern Munich forward provided an assist, a goal and also hit the post as the Colombians resisted a battling performance from the Uzbeks in front of 80,824 spectators in Mexico City.
Diaz’s superb lofted pass allowed Daniel Munoz to volley in after 40 minutes, but Abbosbek Fayzullaev equalized with his nation’s maiden World Cup goal as he reacted first to head in a rebound from Eldor Shomurodov’s saved volley.
Diaz put Colombia back into the lead as he fired a shot that Uzbek goalkeeper Utkir Yusupov should have stopped.
In the dying seconds Jaminton Campaz made it three for Colombia with a fine header.
The win put Colombia top of a group that also features Portugal and the Democratic Republic of Congo, who drew 1-1 earlier.
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