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≡ FIFA WORLD CUP ≡
Another star-studded World Cup day, as Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice and almost got more in the first game of the day, by far the most stylish of the four. England and Ghana played to a 0-0 draw, Croatia survived a taut test from Panama, 1-0, and Colombia edged D.R. Congo, also 1-0.
● Group K: Portugal 5, Uzbekistan 0 ● After a disappointing draw with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Portugal needed a win in Houston and got off to a good start thanks to its star scorer Ronaldo.
In the sixth minute, a cross from defender Joao Cancelo from the right side of the field found Ronaldo camped at the corner of the box, and he fired a right-footed shot that zoomed inside the near post for the 1-0 lead. Ronaldo was mobbed by his teammates and the goal gives him scores in six different World Cups, the first to do it.
In the 17th, Portugal was awarded a free kick just outside the box and the entire stadium expected Ronaldo to take it. He was standing ready, but instead it was defender Nuno Mendes with a left-footed strike that skipped past the left side of the wall and just inside the far post for the 2-0 lead, on a brilliantly simple, deceptive play.
At the hydration break, Portugal had 80% possession and a 6-1 shots edge. But momentum changed after the break, as Uzbek midfielder Abbosbek Fayzullev wrapped his arm around Portugal’s Cancelo at the top of the box and the ball went free to midfielder Azizjon Ganiev, who sent a perfect strike into the goal to close up to 2-1. But a video review called the obvious foul and the goal was disallowed. Wow.
Portugal returned to the attack and Ronaldo was on the right side as midfielder Bruno Fernandes came down the middle of the field in the 39th. Fernandes sent an in-stride pass to Ronaldo running full speed to the corner of the box. He cut the ball back to the far left side of the Uzbek goal and behind keeper Abduvohid Nematov for 3-1 and his second goal of the day (and his 10th World Cup goal).
Ronaldo almost had a third goal at 45+6 on a chip shot over the keeper, but it was saved at the goal line by defender Abdukodir Khusanov. At the half, Portugal enjoyed 65% possession and was 8-3 on shots.
Off a corner in the 60th, Fernandes sent a ball right to the near post, which it was touched by Ronaldo and forward Joao Felix, rebounded off Khusanov and then off of Nematov and into the net for an own goal and a 4-0 Portugal lead. At the hydro break, Portugal was up to 66% of the ball and 12-6 on shots.
Portugal made it 5-0 in the 87th on a deflected pass that landed at the feet of midfielder Rafael Leao, who smashed the ball in from the middle of the box. Portugal finished at 66% possession and 17-7 on shots as they left no doubt.
● Group K: Colombia 1, Dom. Rep. Congo 0 ● Colombia came in with a win and D.R. Congo – the Leopards – with a draw in their first match, for this game in in Guadalajara.
The first half was a question of defense for the Leopards, as Colombia had a 14-2 shots advantage, and D.R. Congo keeper Lionel Mpasi was fabulous. He saved a 4th-minute shot from striker Luis Suarez and then a rebound try from defender Daniel Munoz went wide. Star midfielder James Rodriguez also beat Mpasi in the 11th, but the keeper won. Forward Luis Diaz was barely stopped in the 16th; Mpasi made five saves in the first 20 minutes!
Colombia had 75% possession by the time of the hydro break, but no score. The rest of the half was more of the same and it remained 0-0.
Mpasi stopped another try by Diaz in the 50th and blocked a dangerous cross from defender Johan Mojica in the 63rd. By the second hydro break, Colombia possession was up to 69% and 16-3 on shots.
Finally, a pass from the top of the box to the right side by midfielder Juan Quintero found Munoz in the 76th, and he was on target with a hard, low shot that appeared to deflect off of D.R. Congo defender Steve Kapuadi and into the net for a 1-0 Colombia lead.
Colombia scored twice more – both by Diaz – in the next four minutes, but the first was overturned for a foul and the second for offsides. Mpasi then stopped a rocket from 30 yards out by midfielder Gustavo Puerta in the 86th.
The Leopards went on offense in the 90th, and Colombian keeper Camilo Vargas barely made a save on a drive from the top of the box by forward Nathanel Mbuku, that was the first shot-on-goal for D.R. Congo in the game. A header by striker Simon Banza off a corner almost found the net, but Vargas kept it out at 90+2!
Colombia held on for the 1-0 win, but with 64% possession and 20-8 on shots.
● Group L: England 0, Ghana 0 ● It was rainy in Foxborough, with England on the ball from the beginning. There was a free kick by Declan Rice that just sailed over the crossbar in the 14th and at the hydro break, it was England with 86% possession and 3-0 on shots.
But for the most part, England was frustrated by a packed-in Black Star defense, much to the distaste of the huge, pro-England crowd. After 35 minutes, the stats showed England completing 242 passes to 32 for Ghana. But it was 0-0.
Beyond that and a nasty, head-to-head collision between Ghana striker Jordan Ayew and defender Reece James in the 21st, the half ended without incident. England had 78% possession and 6-0 on shots, but did not come close to a score.
The second half was more of the same, lots of probing by England and a push now and again by Ghana. There were collisions, hard tackles and a total of 38 fouls committed in the game, 24 by Ghana, and a yellow card for each side.
At the hydration break – in the 70th – England had 76% possession and a 13-1 shots edge. While the game opened up a little at the very end, especially with a couple of England corners in the waning moments of stoppage time, it ended 0-0. England finished at 79% possession and 19-2 on shots, but could not solve the Ghana defense.
Both are now 1-0-1 and have four points.
● Group L: Croatia 1, Panama 0 ● Both teams were coming off of opening losses in Toronto and a loser would be eliminated. Croatia had control of the early portion of the game, but was unable to score.
Panama nearly took the lead in the 23rd on a brilliant header by midfielder Jose Luis Rodriguez, taking a cross from defender Amir Murillo in the middle of the box that Croatian keeper Dominik Livakovic barely got a hand on and pushed it off the crossbar for an amazing save. At the hydration break, it was Croatia with 58% possession and 1-1 on shots.
Croatia created chances, notably with midfielder Martin Baturina, whose shot had to be saved by Panama keeper Orlando Mosquera at 45+1, and the speedy Rodriguez was a problem again and again on runs down the left side. But the half ended 0-0, with Croatia at 64% possession and just three shots in the half, two from Croatia.
Panama’s speed continued to threaten in the second half, but a classic cross and run-on in the 54th saw defender Josip Stanisic sent a perfect ball from the right side clear through the box and striker Ante Budimir had only to flick it in for a 1-0 lead and a roar from the Croatian fans.
A key follow-up moment came as Panama’s Mosquera saved a breakaway by forward Marco Pasalic in the 57th to keep Panama in it. Then Los Canaleros got organized and Livakovic had to make two quick saves on Murillo and then a brilliant pushaway on a header by midfielder Carlos Harvey in the 68th. The hydration break followed with Croatia at 61% possession and up just 5-4 on shots.
Panama was on the attack – all out – in the final minutes, and a Croatia foul gave Murillo a free kick just above the box at 90+2, but he skied it over the goal. It ended 1-0, with 58% possession for Croatia, an 8-6 edge on shots; Panama was eliminated.
≡ PANORAMA ≡
The Wednesday schedule is the first of four days of six matches to close out play in three groups (points shown for each team):
● Group B: Switzerland (4) vs. Canada (4) ● (Vancouver: 3 p.m. Eastern)
● Group B: Bosnia & Herzegovina (1) vs. Qatar (1) ● (Seattle: 3 p.m. Eastern)
● Group C: Scotland (3) vs. Brazil (4) ● (Miami Gardens: 6 p.m. Eastern)
● Group C: Morocco (4) vs. Haiti (0) ● (Atlanta: 6 p.m. Eastern)
● Group A: Czechia (1) vs. Mexico (6) ● (Mexico City: 9 p.m. Eastern)
● Group A: South Africa (1) vs. South Korea (3) ● (Monterrey: 9 p.m. Eastern)
¶
It was reported that FIFA has revoked the credential of Paraguay ABC Cardinal radio commentator Jorge Vera for the World Cup for “repeated personal attacks and derogatory comments directed at FIFA officials.”
During the Paraguay-Turkey match, midfielder Miguel Almiron was shown a red card for covering his mouth while talking to an opposing player, in violation of new rules in force for the World Cup.
Vera ranted at Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton, then went after FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI): “Thief, thief, Barton. They killed football. FIFA, you killed football. Infantino, you’re responsible for this.”
He added, “FIFA, take responsibility for turning football into this. A disgrace. You should be ashamed, Infantino.” He then turned on South American confederation chief Alejandro Domínguez, who is from Paraguay: “Alejandro Domínguez, less photos with Infantino. Grow a pair. You [expletive deleted] thieves!”
ABC Cardinal asked for the cancellation to be reduced, as Vera later apologized: “We believe that the permanent cancellation of a credential for the entire duration of the tournament constitutes an extreme and manifestly disproportionate sanction for a primary infraction that was immediately acknowledged, for which formal apologies and concrete mechanisms for redress were offered.”
Vera said in a follow-up video, in part (translated from the original Spanish): “During the live transmission of the Paraguay-Turkey match, in the heat of the moment and the tension of the broadcast, I made comments that exceeded the limits. …
“I want to apologize publicly to FIFA, to the refereeing team, to my colleagues, and especially to the audience for any offense my words may have caused. It was never my intention to attack anyone personally. I got carried away in the emotion of the moment. I take full responsibility for my mistake.”
¶
There are lots of fan festivals around the world watching the World Cup, but in Amman (JOR), a large crowd assembled at Hashemite Plaza early Tuesday morning and an exit “stampede” caused injuries to nine people, one of whom later died.
Jordan lost to Algeria, 2-1, Monday evening in a group-stage match in Santa Clara, California.
¶
FIFA President Infantino said in a television interview that hydration breaks, experimentally included for the 2026 World Cup in response to heat concerns, will be reviewed for future use. He noted that despite outrage from purists:
“Maybe the coach can reassess certain situations, correct certain mistakes. The players get a little rest and come back in full speed. Well, is that bad necessarily? Maybe it’s good.
“And we see as well the intensity of the games. We’ve never seen 90 minutes in a tournament like this played in such an intensity. Until the last second of the match, players attack and so on.
“And maybe, maybe not, but maybe it’s also a bit thanks to this little break that the players have and after they can go back on the field and show what they can do.”
¶
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