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≡ FIFA WORLD CUP ≡
The final day of the group stage had six matches and England got what it needed to win Group L, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo came from behind to beat Uzbekistan and advance to the knock-out round. The scoreless tie between Group K winner Colombia and Portugal was hardly boring, with 37 total shots!
● Group L: England 2, Panama 0 ● Rainy conditions for this match in East Rutherford, with England (1-0-1 W-L-T) on offense immediately and Panama (0-2) waiting for counterattack possibilities. The hydration break came with England taking five shots to one and with 74% possession. But no goals, after none against Ghana in their second game.
England continued with the ball for the remainder of the half and had nine shots to three at halftime and 72% of the ball, but it was still 0-0 against a strong Panama defense.
England’s scoring ace Harry Kane almost scored in the 52nd, but a pass to the front of the Panama’s goal went off his left, then off the leg of a defender and ended up on the top of the net. Kane smashed a right-foot strike from the right side of the box in the 57th that was saved by Panama keeper Orlando Mosquera.
But off a corner by forward Bukayo Saka in the 62nd, midfielder Jude Bellingham was being held by defender Andres Andrade, and as the ball came into the box, he stuck out his left foot and the ball flew into the goal for the 1-0 lead.
Bellingham made the play again in the 67th, this time on a cross from the left side, near the endline, with a looping pass into the middle of the box for Kane, who headed it in for a 2-0 edge. It’s his 11th career World Cup goal, the most in English history. That led to the hydro break, with England at 71% possession and 14-5 on shots.
Panama got a goal from striker Jose Fajardo with a hard shot just inside the box off a breakaway at 90+1, but was called offsides (barely). It ended 2-0 with 68% possession for England and 17-13 on shots.
● Group L: Croatia 2, Ghana 1 ● There were lively moments right away in this game in Philadelphia, with Croatia (1-1) off to the races after Ghana (1-0-1) turnovers, but just two shots in the first 25 minutes to the hydro break, with Ghana holding 52% of possession.
The Croatian offense finally arrived in the 31st on a midfielder Petar Sucic strike from well beyond the top of the box off of a feed from midfielder Mateo Kovacic, for the 1-0 lead. That was the score at half, with Croatia enjoying a 5-1 shots advantage and Ghana not seriously threatening at all.
The teams were sharing possession in the second half and Ghana pushed harder on offense, but Croatia maintaining 53% of the ball and 5-3 on shots. On a free kick by forward Ernest Nuamah from the right side, beyond the top of the box, defender Derrick Luckassen ran onto the ball right in front of the net and scored to tie it in the 73rd, following a video review!
Croatia wanted a response and got a perfect play in the 83rd off a corner by midfield star Luka Modric that came down for midfielder Nikola Vlasic at the back of the formation, who sent the header to the far left corner of the net for a 2-1 lead.
That’s how it ended, withy Croatia finishing at 53% possession and 8-6 on shots and second in the group.
● Group L ● England won two games and topped the group at 2-0-1 and seven points. Both Croatia and Ghana advanced, but the Croatia win to get to 2-1 means they are second and Ghana (1-1-1) was third and moving on as well.
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● Group K: Colombia 0, Portugal 0 ● Colombia (2-0) was in excellent position against Portugal (1-0-1) in in hot (85 F) and humid (70%) conditions in Miami Gardens, and the Colombians were on offense with seven shots at the first break, to three for Portugal, even with only 43% of possession.
Portugal found more offense after the break and Colombian keeper Camilo Vargas had to make a great save in the 39th on a point-blank blast by midfielder Bruno Fernandes. Colombia regained the offense right at the end of the half, but it ended scoreless, with Colombia at 55% of the ball and a lively 13-9 on shots.
The second half started with more energy and back-and-forth attacks. Portugal’s scoring star Cristiano Ronaldo was offside and missed a chance wide in the 60th. Colombia’s midfielder Richard Rios had a chance in front of goal in the 62nd, but it went wide. Colombian midfielder Santiago Arias sent a bullet in the 66th, but was saved by Diogo Costa, his sixth save. At the hydro break, Colombia led 18-11 on shots and had 55% of the ball.
Both teams were up and down the field, and Costa made another acrobatic save in the 87th to keep Portugal even. But at 90+1, a header from Davinson Sanchez looked like the game winner, but was called for offsides (barely). It ended scoreless, with 37 total shots in the game – 24 for Colombia – thanks to 54% possession and they win the group.
● Group K: Dem. Rep. Congo 2, Uzbekistan 1 ● The Africans (0-1-1) needed a win in Atlanta to advance. But it was Uzbekistan (0-2) took an early 1-0 lead in the 10th from striker Eldor Shomurodov, who popped the ball over the head of D.R. Congo keeper Lionel Mpasi off a long feed from midfielder Abbosbek Fayzullaev.
It didn’t take long for the Leopards to respond, in the 17th, with a score from striker Nathaniel Mbuku and an assist to forward Brian Cipenga, but the goal was rescinded for a prior foul by Mbuku after a review. The hydro break came shortly after, with 54% of the ball for D.R. Congo, but only one shot apiece.
The half ended 1-0, with D.R. Congo up to 64% possession and a 4-2 edge on shots.
Still trying to find a equalizer, the Leopards suddenly had a golden opportunity in the 66th, as striker Yoane Wissa was brought down in the box by Abdukodir Khusanov. Wissa took the penalty in the 68th and scored easily on a pass to the right side of the goal. The Leopards had 64% of the ball at the second hydro break and was up 11-3 on shots.
And they kept coming and got the second goal they desperately wanted from forward Fiston Mayele in the 78th, scoring off a deflected ball off a drive by forward Meschack Elia. And the win was confirmed with another goal for Wissa at 90+1 on a drive from 20 yards out from a left-side pass by Elia, for the 3-1 final. The Leopards had 58% possession and, in the end, dominated the game with 19-3 on shots.
● Group K ● Colombia was 2-0-1 and won the group with seven points, and Portugal at 1-0-2 (5) was second. The impressive performance of D.R. Congo earned them their first advancement at 1-1-1 in their second appearance, and will face England in the round-of-32.
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● Group J: Argentina 3, Jordan 1 ● Argentina (2-0) had already clinched the group before this match at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, so nine new players started and superstar Lionel Messi started the game on the bench. Argentina was busy right away and midfielder Giovani Lo Celso scored in the seventh minute, but the goal was wiped off for offsides.
No worries; Lo Celso had a free kick from just outside the box in the 19th and drilled it into the far side of the net with the left foot for the 1-0 lead. Wow. At the hydration break, Argentina had 79% possession and both shots in the game.
In the 29th, Jordan defender Ehsan Haddad was called for a penalty in the box for not playing the ball. Striker Lautauro Martinez took the penalty in the 31st and buried the ball in the far left corner for the 2-0 lead. There were plenty more chances for Argentina, but no more goals in the half; Argentina had 72% possession and 5-3 on shots.
Argentina created more chances in the second half, but then Haddad sent a perfect cross from the right side and forward Mousa Al-Tamari came and met the ball with the left foot and scored in the 55th to cut the score to 2-1! In the meantime, Messi was ready to enter and came on in the 60th, to replace Martinez. The hydration break followed in the 67th, with Argentina still at 73% and 8-5 on shots.
Of course, everyone was waiting for Messi to explode and he did in the 80th on a free kick from on top of the box, where he curled it around the wall and into the goal for a 3-1 lead and increases his World Cup scoring lead to six goals in this tournament. He’s now scored in seven straight World Cup matches, a first for any player.
It ended 3-1, with Argentina up 12-5 on shots and enjoying 73% of possession.
● Group J: Algeria 3, Austria 3 ● Both teams were 1-0-1 and looking to advance in this match in Kansas City, but neither could get a goal before the hydro break, with Algeria at 53% possession and one shot each.
Just after the re-start, Austrian defender David Alaba sends a long ball ahead and forward Marko Arnautovic did the rest, dribbling in and getting the ball past Algerian keeper Oussama Benbot in the 28th for a 1-0 lead. But the Algerians got even in the 45th, as defender Rafik Belghali picked up the ball after it caromed off the corner flag (and two others were tackling each other), then flashed past two defenders and scored a ripping goal on a liner from the top of the box on the right side, to go 1-1. The half ended that way, with Algeria at 57% of the ball and 7-5 on shots.
Algeria maintained possession to start the second half, but in the 55th, midfielder Konrad Laimer sent a ball in from the right side and midfielder Marcel Sabitzer had space and drilled it for the 2-1 lead.
But the Algerians were unimpressed and five minutes later midfielder Houssem Aouar sent a pass across the Austrian goal and was scored by forward Riyad Mahrez for the 2-2 tie. The hydro break followed with Algeria maintaining 57% of the ball and up by 11-8 on shots.
The pace of the game slowed and it looked like a tie in the making, but at 90+3, Algeria’s Mahrez scored again from Aouar, who sent a ball into the box from right to left to set him up.
But, incredibly, this wasn’t over. With literally seconds to play, a header by forward Michael Gregoritsch from the endline came back to the front of goal, where it was headed in by striker Sasa Kalajdzic at 90+6! The game ended moments later and with the tie, both teams advanced.
Algeria had 65% of possession during the game, but just a 12-10 edge on shots. In the end, both teams won, somehow.
● Group J ● Argentina beat Jordan, but gave up its first goal. They’re on as the group winner at 3-0. The unbelievable tie between Austria and Algeria gave both four points (1-1-1) and sent both on to the round-of-32. The loser was Iran, which had three points, but with a goal differential of zero, lost out on the eighth and final third-place spot to Senegal, which had three points but was +2.
≡ PANORAMA ≡
The elimination round-of-32 will start on Sunday (28th) in Inglewood, California, between South Africa and Canada, at noon local time. For Monday and Tuesday:
Monday, 29 June 2026:
● Brazil vs. Japan ● In Houston (1 p.m. Eastern)
● Germany vs. Paraguay ● In Foxborough (4:30 p.m. Eastern)
● Netherlands vs. Morocco ● In Monterrey (9 p.m. Eastern)
Tuesday, 30 June 2026:
● Ivory Coast vs. Norway ● In Arlington (1 p.m. Eastern)
● France vs. Sweden ● In East Rutherford (5 p.m. Eastern)
● Mexico vs. Ecuador ● In Mexico City (9 p.m. Eastern)
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Ticket sales are in for the official Los Angeles Fan Festival from 11-14 June – the first four days of the tournament – at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with 85,023:
● 11 June: 27,343 (Monday)
● 12 June: 20,866 (Tuesday)
● 13 June: 23,722 (Wednesday)
● 14 June: 13,092 (Thursday)
Coliseum spokeswoman Andrea Ambriz noted these are ticket holders only and do not include staff or visitors to the greater Exposition Park area, or the watch party at the adjacent BMO Stadium. Also, “that max attendance was closer to 40K on Monday since people stayed for the all-day festivities.”
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