A World Cup for the megastars.
That’s what the 2026 tournament has been so far, with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland playing one of the most entertaining games of ‘shot for shot’ we’ve ever seen.
They were the odds makers' choice to take home the Golden Boot for top scorer, but after long club seasons, could we really expect them to be at the peak of their powers?
The answer is yes, but something else may be helping. More lower-ranked teams in this edition of the World Cup will undoubtedly aid them in their quest to annihilate the record books.
But on Tuesday, it was time for a different — struggling — star to capitalize on a favourable matchup and make history in the process.
Here are the big takeaways from Tuesday’s action at the World Cup.
THE RESULTS
Group K: Portugal 5, Uzbekistan 0 | Match Report | Match Stats
Group L: England 0, Ghana 0 | Match Report | Match Stats
Group L: Croatia 1, Panama 0 | Match Report | Match Stats
Group K: Colombia 1, DR Congo 0 | Match Report | Match Stats
Still to come:
THE BIG TAKEAWAYS
Never in doubt
The Portugal camp (and the rest of us) suffered through days of Cristiano Ronaldo discourse ahead of the clash with Uzbekistan in Houston.
The 41-year-old was holding the squad and manager Roberto Martinez at proverbial gunpoint, according to fans, pundits and anyone else who’s casually flipped on a match in the last two years. The story goes that Ronaldo, obsessed with his own image and scoring in a record sixth World Cup, refused to be dropped from the starting lineup even though he’s past his prime. Winger Francisco Conceição told the press that any suggestions that he and his teammates were force-feeding passes into Ronaldo were ridiculous.
And yet, getting the ball to CR7 worked quite well in the early goings against an overmatched Uzbekistan side that opted for a “low block and pray” strategy before the first hydration break. By that time, it was 2-0 Portugal, and Ronaldo had joined the goal-scoring party already started by Messi, Mbappé and Haaland.
Lost in some of the Ronaldo discourse is that his understudy at the striker position, Gonçalo Ramos, isn’t in stellar form himself. A brace against Uzbekistan will quiet some skeptics, but for Martinez, sticking with his embattled talisman is the only option.
Surely this performance will end the CR7-Portugal debate. Wait, why are you laughing?
Is it coming home?
The conversations surrounding England’s exploits at major tournaments are never normal, but things had been disconcertingly positive heading into Tuesday.
A resounding 4-2 win over Croatia in Dallas generated grand visions of a run to the final, and why not? Thomas Tuchel is an excellent coach, and his squad selection indicated confidence in how he wanted England to play.
Alas, it’s never that simple, at least not for England. A resolute Ghana side dug in at Boston Stadium, frustrating the Three Lions for most of the match. The introductions of Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford late in the second half changed momentum, and Harry Kane had the winning goal on his foot only to send the ball well over the crossbar after a flurry in the Ghana box, but this was a dull attacking display overall. For their second game in a row, Carlos Queiroz’s Black Stars kept a clean sheet and now sit in a terrific position to advance to the knockout round.
And England? They remain first in Group L, and Ghana is no slouch defensively. If they take care of business against Panama in their final group-stage contest, things are fine. But the turgid manner of this draw will raise the heat in England’s Kansas City training base.
Loser leaves the continent
Those were the stakes in Toronto, where Panama and Croatia met with eyes on extending their stay at this World Cup. A loss here, and only one match for pride would be left.
The atmosphere was terrific, with the outnumbered Panamanians doing their best to counter the Croatian chaos created by the legions of Vatreni faithful packing the stands.
Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic changed the match after a cagey opening 45 minutes with few clear-cut scoring chances, inserting Andrej Kramarić and Ante Budimir at the start of the second half.
Nine minutes later, Croatia had its crucial goal, with Marco Pašalić and Josip Stanišić’s superb interplay resulting in the latter’s perfect cross. From there, Budimir handled the rest.
MOMENT OF THE DAY
Should Ghana have been awarded a penalty in the 80th minute? The flag went up for offside shortly after Ezri Konsa’s challenge on Prince Adu, but it looked like the Aston Villa defender got player and not ball on the initial chance. Referee Héctor Saíd Martínez Sorto and the VAR officials thought otherwise.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“They might have been better than us in the first half, but we were better than them in terms of fighting spirit. We had opportunities to win it, and I’m not sure if VAR is still working. It was a clear penalty.”
- Queiroz laments the failure of technology in Boston.
STAT OF THE DAY
This is not the first remarkable statistical feat shared by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but it’s a cool one.
THREE STARS OF THE DAY
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): One wonders if Ronaldo was watching on Monday when the tournament’s big guns continued to fill the back of the net with ease. What may be the best Golden Boot race of all-time is a generational encounter.
2. Ante Budimir (Croatia): At 34 years and 336 days, Budimir became Croatia’s oldest goal scorer at a World Cup. The so-called ‘old heads’ are having a field day in North America.
3. Nuno Mendes (Portugal): Depending on how the next few weeks go for Portugal, we could be looking at the next Ballon D’Or winner. The 24-year-old Mendes is the best fullback in the world and a key part of the Paris Saint-Germain winning machine. Tuesday’s display was another Mendes masterclass.
