World Cup Daily: Ronaldo responds as Portugal cruise, Colombia reach knockout stage

Ronaldo's brace and Daniel Muñoz's decisive strike for Colombia were among the standout moments of the day.

In Group K, Portugal returned to winning ways with a dominant 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan in Houston. Under pressure following a disappointing display against DR Congo, Cristiano Ronaldo responded in emphatic fashion, scoring twice and becoming the first player in history to score in six different FIFA World Cup editions. The veteran forward also became Portugal's all-time leading scorer at the World Cup, surpassing the mark previously held by Eusebio. Nuno Mendes, an own goal by Abduvohid Nematov and a late strike from Rafael Leão completed the match.

Later in the same group, Colombia edged DR Congo 1-0 to maintain their perfect start to the tournament. Daniel Muñoz scored the only goal of the match after being set up by Juan Quintero. The victory moved Colombia to six points and secured their place in the knockout stage.

Group L began with England being held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Ghana. Despite dominating possession, the Three Lions struggled to create clear chances, with Nico O'Reilly striking the crossbar late in the match. The result leaves both teams on four points.

Croatia then kept their qualification hopes alive with a 1-0 victory over Panama. Ante Budimir scored the decisive goal in the 54th minute, while Panama became one of the first teams to be eliminated from the tournament after suffering a second consecutive defeat.

After two rounds of matches, Colombia top Group K with six points and have secured a place in the round of 32. England and Ghana share the lead in Group L on four points, while Croatia remain in contention with three points.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Argentina and France secured places in the round of 32 after victories over Austria and Iraq respectively, while Norway also booked their place in the knockout stage with a thrilling 3-2 win over Senegal.