The World Cup action on Wednesday morning AEST delivered a rollercoaster of emotions with a tense, scoreless opening half, an outstanding record-breaking display from a legendary player, and a frustrating standoff between England and Ghana.
Both teams urgently sought crucial points after Tuesday’s 0-0 stalemate between England and Ghana left the loser with slim hopes of advancing to the knockout phase.
Croatia secured a pivotal victory against Panama with a second-half goal, triumphing 1-0 in a decisive Group L matchup that dashed the South American team’s tournament aspirations.
Having reached the semifinals in both the 2018 and 2022 competitions, Croatia was eager to recover from their 4-2 defeat to England in Dallas during their first Group L encounter.
Ultimately, Ante Budimir’s crucial goal in the 54th minute was sufficient to overcome the resilient effort from the Central American squad.
Croatia’s most celebrated player, Luka Modric, was making his 200th international appearance, but his early headed effort on goal sailed over the bar.
Under Danish-born coach Thomas Christiansen, Panama have implemented a tight defensive structure that helped them secure their second-ever World Cup appearance.
But it was the Panamanian offence that almost made the difference in the first half.
In the 23rd minute Jose Luis Rodriguez guided a header towards goal but the outstretched fingertips of Croatian ‘keeper Dominik Livakovic redirected the ball off the bar.
The second half marked a clear momentum shift and the capacity crowd of 43,000 in Toronto with a strong Croatian majority erupted when Budimir tapped in a cross from Josip Stanisic.
Croatia should have been two up minutes later, when a perfectly weighted pass from Modric sent Marco Pasalic alone speeding towards goal.
Pasalic’s first effort was stopped by keeper Orlando Mosquera and although the rebound came back to him he blasted an off-balance second attempt well over the bar.
Panama kept pressing for the equalizer but they ultimately failed to find the net, extending their World Cup goalless streak.
They face England in what will be their final match of the tournament on Friday.
Croatia have three points and will face Ghana, who moved onto four points after holding England to a goalless draw earlier, for a place in the final 32.
Deep, deep, deep defence by Ghana
Panama’s loss followed a frustrated match between England and Ghana, which left the fourth-ranked Three Lions with a doughnut next their name in a stand off at Boston Stadium.
England were left frustrated in their bid to join the likes of France, Argentina and Germany in the last 32 after failing to break down Ghana in a goalless Group L stalemate at Foxborough outside Boston.
They had launched their campaign last week with a stylish 4-2 win over Croatia, with their relentless attacking play sweeping aside the 2018 World Cup finalists.
But their attack was thwarted by a defensive Ghana, who pulled off a last-gasp 1-0 victory over Panama in their opening match. The side made their intentions clear right from the kickoff as they lined up to blunt England’s attacking style.
In constant drizzle, the Three Lions had almost 80 per cent possession in the first half but were limited to half-chances as Ghana players swarmed around England captain Harry Kane and anyone else on the few occasions they got into dangerous positions.
The opening 45 minutes were the first in any game at this World Cup in which neither side had a shot on target and one of the biggest cheers was for the sight of former England captain David Beckham watching the game in a suit and shown on the giant screens at the stadium.
England were unable to find the invention needed to break through, creating hardly any chances that seriously troubled the Black Stars.
England assistant coach Anthony Barry said at halftime that Ghana were defending “deep, deep, deep, probably deeper than we expected”.
England were also fortunate to escape what looked like a strong penalty claim from Ghana in the 79th minute when Ezri Konsa bundled over substitute Prince Adu in the box.
A toothless England performance was summed up in the final minutes, when England captain Harry Kane blasted over the bar from point-blank range with the goal gaping.
Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz praised his team for sticking to his strategy for frustrating England.
“I am so proud, the way our players they fought during the game, how much they stand behind the game plan,” he said.
The result represented the fourth time in a row at major competitions, two European Championships and now two World Cups, that England have drawn their second group game.
The result leaves England and Ghana level on four points with Croatia and Panama due to play later on Wednesday.
Ronaldo: ‘I’m back’
In the early hours of Wednesday morning AEST an under-fire Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo silenced his critics as he became the first man to score in six different World Cup, proving once again this World Cup has been a showcase for some of the sport’s greatest players.
A joyous Ronaldo was mobbed by team-mates as he celebrated his emphatic opening goal in a 5-0 rout of Uzbekistan in their Group K matHouston early on Wedneday (AEST).
It was a big moment for the superstar striker who had failed to score in 10 consecutive matches at major tournaments.
Ronaldo scored a double in the big win, shouting “I’m back, I’m back” into the television cameras.
Ronaldo’s record followed fellow superstar Lionel Messi’s own milestone yesterday, when he became the World Cup’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Ronaldo, 41, came into this morning’s game still stinging from sharp criticism following an underwhelming performance in Portugal’s opening 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo, but by minute six the concern melted away when he scored the game’s first goal.
He added a second on 39 minutes to give Portugal a 3-0 lead after Nuno Mendes had put Roberto Martinez’s side 2-0 up in the 17th minute with a well-taken free kick.
Portugal let loose in the second half with two more goals, including a spectacular Rafael Leão strike, to complete the rout.
The victory leaves Portugal firmly on course to qualify for the last 32 from Group K, where Colombia face DR Congo later on Wednesday.
Speaking after the match, Ronaldo said that, while he was happy to break records, the most important thing for him was the team’s improvement and the confidence the players showed after a frustrating first match.
“The team performed really well and improved a lot,” he said. “As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Obviously, speaking personally, records are always nice but my goal is always to help the national team achieve its objectives.”
Portugese coach Martinez told reporters his side had made the most of their disappointing first game.
“There are times when you need a game like the first one in order to grow in the tournament,” he said.
“Today we saw a team with the same attitude and commitment, but with greater maturity because it was no longer the opening match.”
— With reporting by Agence France-Presse and Reuters news agencies.
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