Ronaldo becomes the first to score at six World Cups as Portugal rout Uzbekistan
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Cristiano Ronaldo ended his goal drought in style, scoring twice in Portugal's 5-0 rout of Uzbekistan to become the first player to find the net at six different World Cups. According to ESPN, the 41-year-old's second goal was his 10th at World Cups, taking him past Eusébio as Portugal's all-time leading scorer in the competition, with an own goal and a late Rafael Leão strike completing the win in Group K.
England were held to a 0-0 draw by a resolute Ghana, spurning late chances through Harry Kane and Nico O'Reilly. The point keeps Thomas Tuchel's side top of Group L and unbeaten, but level on points with Ghana, per Sky Sports, leaving qualification still to be settled.
Colombia booked their place in the round of 32 with a 1-0 win over DR Congo, Daniel Muñoz scoring his second of the tournament in the 77th minute, ESPN reported. The defeat leaves DR Congo needing to beat Uzbekistan on the final matchday to have any chance of progressing.
Croatia revived their campaign and eliminated Panama with a 1-0 win in Toronto, substitute Ante Budimir heading in Josip Stanišić's cross. At 34, Budimir became Croatia's oldest World Cup scorer, according to Sky Sports, as the 2018 finalists claimed their first win.
Transfer and squad notes
Ronaldo used the occasion to push back at criticism that followed Portugal's opening draw and declined to engage with comparisons to Lionel Messi — who had broken the all-time World Cup scoring record a day earlier — according to Yahoo Sports, framing the milestone in his own terms.
Leão's goal came against the backdrop of his stated desire to leave AC Milan this summer, with the Portugal forward drawing Premier League interest, per Goal; no transfer has been agreed, and his future remains a club-level question to watch.
What it means for the league
Day 13 sharpened the parallel storylines of the tournament's two veteran greats, Ronaldo and Messi rewriting records on consecutive days. Portugal and Colombia are through, while England's grind at the top of Group L underlines that points are proving harder to come by than performances suggest. With the final group games to come, Croatia's revival and Panama's exit show how fine the margins remain in a tight section.