Flashscore brings you the best of the tournament every day with World Cup highlights, so you don't miss any key moments.
Read the day 12 World Cup highlights here: Messi keeps making history ahead of Mbappe and Haaland.
The Highlights
The day began with a convincing response from Portugal in Group K. After drawing in their opener against DR Congo, the Seleção das Quinas thrashed Uzbekistan (5-0), with Cristiano Ronaldo taking centre stage. CR7 scored a brace, becoming the first player to score in six World Cups and surpassing Eusébio as Portugal's all-time top scorer in the competition. Nuno Mendes, with a direct free kick, Rafael Leão, and an own goal by Nematov completed the rout, leaving Portugal with a clear path to the knockout stage.
In Group L, England was unable to break down the ultra-defensive block set up by Carlos Queiroz and had to settle for a goalless draw against Ghana (0-0). After a convincing display against Croatia, the Three Lions looked apathetic, lacking creativity, and were almost always stifled by the African side's defensive organisation.
Near the end, Harry Kane missed an incredible chance just a few meters from the goal. Before the match, Nana Kwaku Bonsam, a well-known Ghanaian witch doctor, had promised to reduce the influence of striker Harry Kane, just as he claims to have done with Cristiano Ronaldo at the 2014 World Cup. Superstition or not, the fact is the English striker failed to score, and the ritual seemed to work.
Next came a do-or-die clash for Croatia and Panama (0-1) in Toronto. After a poor first half with few chances, the Croatian coach found the answer on the bench: Ante Budimir came on at halftime and scored the only goal of the match, following a cross from Josip Stanisic. Dominik Livakovic preserved the lead with several key saves, allowing Luka Modric to celebrate his 200th international cap with a win. Panama suffered their fifth defeat in as many World Cup matches and were mathematically eliminated.
Finally, Colombia lived up to expectations and beat D.R. Congo 1-0 in a Guadalajara Stadium awash with yellow. Néstor Lorenzo's side dominated much of the match but were repeatedly denied by Lionel Mpasi-Nzau, who finished the game with eight saves.
The Congolese resistance finally broke in the 76th minute, when defender Daniel Munoz scored after a move set up by Juan Fernando Quintero and Jhon Córdoba. The full-back became only the fifth defender in World Cup history to score in both of his first two matches in the tournament.
FIFA World Cup 2026
The 2026 World Cup is taking place from June 11th to July 19th in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament features 48 national teams and is played at 16 modern stadiums.
Match schedule and times | Group tables | How to watch the World Cup | World Cup Format | Past winners of the World Cup
Player of the Day
After a storm of criticism following the opening draw, Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up, faced the music, and responded in the way he knows best: with goals. The captain scored a brace and helped Portugal thrash Uzbekistan, earning a rating of 8.6 in the new and improved Flashscore evaluation system.
With just his first goal, he became the first player in football history to score in six World Cups – a Guinness World Record! With the second, he surpassed Eusébio and became Portugal's all-time top scorer in World Cup finals, with ten goals.
The brace also allowed him to break into the top 10 all-time World Cup scorers, joining Germany's Helmut Rahn and Thomas Muller, Peruvian Teofilo Cubillas (a former FC Porto player), Poland's Grzegorz Lato, England's Gary Lineker and Harry Kane, and Argentina's Gabriel Batistuta.
"I always show up. Sooner or later, I'm there. I'll keep doing my job. I really believe in what I do. My career has always been like this", said the captain of the Seleção das Quinas at the end of the match.
In short, Cristiano Ronaldo delivered his answer where it really matters: on the pitch. As Pablo Gallego, editor-in-chief of the French newsroom at Flashscore, wrote, "doubting Cristiano Ronaldo is madness... or hatred". Spot on!
Goal of the Day
On a day marked by a goalless draw and two narrow wins, Portugal's 5-0 thrashing of Uzbekistan brought some colour to the World Cup party on North American soil.
The standout moment was Nuno Mendes's goal from a direct free-kick, which caught everyone by surprise. While everyone expected Cristiano Ronaldo to take the kick, it was the left-back who struck powerfully with his left foot, sending the ball past Nematov and scoring his first World Cup goal.
"Everyone thinks Cristiano will take every free kick. At that moment, he said: 'I'll pretend I'm going to take it and you hit the ball.' It worked out," explained Nuno Mendes.
Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed the plan: "I was going to take it, but I said let's trick the goalkeeper and have Nuno hit it hard, because it would be a goal". And it was.
Best of Social Media
This was one of the most anticipated moments of the 2026 World Cup. Among the thousands of fans at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara for Colombia vs DR Congo was Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, one of the world's most famous fans. The Congolese supporter missed the first match due to isolation measures imposed by the Ebola epidemic but managed to attend his national team's second Group K game.
Mboladinga, 49, became famous for standing motionless in the stands during matches, upright, with a fixed gaze and his right arm raised, dressed in colourful suits inspired by the national flag. "I stay still because I believe it gives the team emotional strength," he told the Wall Street Journal.
Read also - World Cup 2026: Legendary DR Congo fan joins the official delegation
The gesture, which went viral during AFCON 2025, imitates a statue of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of independent Congo and a central figure in the African independence movement, assassinated in 1961. Known as "Lumumba Vea", a phrase meaning "Lumumba lives", Mboladinga insists the sacrifice is small compared to the love he feels for his national team. Iconic!
Back to Portugal's win, influencer Speed, one of Cristiano Ronaldo's most passionate fans, couldn't hide his emotion when the Portuguese star scored his first goal of this World Cup.
And former teammate Rio Ferdinand was also moved and celebrated the moment with enthusiasm.