Ronaldo Puts Portugal on the Brink of Qualification as Colombia Reach the Round of 32

The tournament’s leading contenders continued to make their presence felt during the second round of group-stage matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Colombia secured their place in the Round of 32, while Portugal moved to the verge of qualification thanks to another outstanding performance from veteran captain Cristiano Ronaldo. Meanwhile, the battle in Group L intensified following England’s draw with Ghana and Croatia’s victory over Panama.

Colombia celebrated qualification after recording a second consecutive win in Group K, defeating the Democratic Republic of Congo 1-0 at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara.

The only goal of the match came in the 76th minute through Daniel Muñoz, earning Colombia three valuable points and taking their tally to a perfect six points, guaranteeing their place in the Round of 32 with one group-stage match still remaining.

Colombia looked solid and well organized throughout the contest, maintaining their unbeaten record in the tournament and underlining their determination to make up for missing out on the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The victory also sent them to the top of the group, two points ahead of Portugal, setting up a direct showdown for first place in the final round.

Portugal stole the headlines with a dominant 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan, in a match that once again showcased the brilliance of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese captain opened the scoring after just six minutes, becoming the first player in World Cup history to score in six different editions of the tournament and adding yet another milestone to his remarkable career.

Ronaldo was not finished there. He added his second goal and Portugal’s third in the 39th minute, taking his World Cup tally to 10 goals and surpassing Portuguese legend Eusébio as his nation’s all-time leading scorer in World Cup finals. He also became the second-oldest player ever to score at a World Cup at the age of 41 years and 138 days, behind legendary Cameroonian striker Roger Milla.

Nuno Mendes contributed to the goal fest by scoring Portugal’s second from a direct free-kick, while Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abdulkodir Nematov unfortunately added an own goal. Substitute Rafael Leão completed the scoring late on, leaving Portugal needing just one point against Colombia to secure qualification officially.

England Stumble

In Group L, England and Ghana played out a goalless draw at Gillette Stadium in Boston.

Despite both teams creating opportunities, neither side was able to find the breakthrough, forcing them to settle for a point each and move onto four points in the standings.

The result represented a slight setback for England, who had opened their campaign with an impressive 4-2 victory over Croatia and looked highly convincing in attack.

Nevertheless, the draw leaves both England and Ghana in strong positions heading into the final round, with a positive result likely to be enough to secure qualification.

While England and Ghana shared the points, Croatia revived their hopes with a crucial 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto.

Veteran striker Ante Budimir scored the only goal of the match in the 54th minute, handing the 2018 World Cup runners-up their first win of the tournament following defeat to England in the opening round.

The match also marked a special milestone for Croatia captain Luka Modrić, who made his 200th international appearance before leaving the field to a standing ovation from the crowd.

The victory moved Croatia onto three points in third place, keeping the race for qualification wide open heading into the final round. Panama, meanwhile, were officially eliminated after suffering their second consecutive defeat of the tournament.