We have arrived at the final day of World Cup group-stage games, with England finishing top of their group after defeating already-eliminated Panama.
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Later, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal drew with Colombia despite some late VAR drama, while Congo DR defeated Uzbekistan to clinch third place in the group.
Lionel Messi also highlights a big day at the World Cup, starting off the bench for Argentina as they face Jordan, while Algeria and Austria play for second in their group.
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WORLD CUP MATCH CENTRE: Panama vs England scores, updates and more
WORLD CUP MATCH CENTRE: Colombia vs Portugal scores, updates and more
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LATE VAR DRAMA IN COLOMBIA DRAW
Colombia finished top of World Cup Group K after playing out a highly-entertaining end-to-end 0-0 draw with Portugal on Saturday.
Colombia will feel hard done by nevertheless as a marginal offside ruled out a late goal by Davinson Sanchez.
The Colombians will play Ghana in the last 32 next Friday, while runners-up Portugal will see Cristiano Ronaldo face his old Real Madrid teammate Croatian icon Luka Modric on Thursday.
However, Ronaldo was a peripheral presence in the fast-paced match, outshone by another former Real teammate, 34-year-old James Rodriguez.
The game watched by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and FIFA President Gianni Infantino was played to the backdrop of a cacophony of noise from Colombian fans.
Colombia should have opened the scoring early on but Jhon Cordoba headed over from close range after being brilliantly teed up by Bayern Munich star Luis Diaz.
Cordoba went close again in the 17th minute, showing some sparkling skills to shrug off a Portuguese defender and unleash a piledriver of a strike.
Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa did well to beat it away.
Portugal have their talisman in the ageing Ronaldo but Colombia have their own in Rodriguez.
In his 11th World Cup appearance — a record for his country — the 34-year-old produced a typical piece of magic, a reverse pass found Jhon Arias, whose goalbound effort was cleared off the line by Ruben Neves.
Ronaldo’s sole contribution was a free-kick which went straight into the arms of Colombian goalkeeper Camilo Vargas.
The Colombian goalkeeper produced a save of the highest order shortly afterwards to deny Bruno Fernandes.
Rodriguez was pulling the strings but he had a go himself close to the break, his shot was on target but Costa gathered it safely.
The second half began at the same frenetic pace, Joao Felix should have done better than send his header way over the bar from Diogo Dalot’s cross.
Dalot raised his face to the sky in frustration.
Colombia replied with two fine attempts at goal, Costa fisting away Jefferson Lerma’s shot and then Jhon Arias let fly from long range.
Ronaldo’s blushes were spared when he shot wide with just the goalkeeper to beat, but he was flagged for offside.
Colombia midfielder Richard Rios went close just seconds after coming on, perhaps caught a bit cold he wasted an excellent chance to break the deadlock.
Costa was having a cracking game, fortunately for his weary defenders who were being run ragged by the vibrant Colombian attack, as he brilliantly denied Jhon Arias.
Rodriguez departed after a fine performance with 15 minutes remaining but Portugal coach Roberto Martinez preferred to replace others such as Felix and Vitinha whilst keeping Ronaldo on despite his being largely ineffective.
Costa came to the rescue again with the clock ticking down, sticking out a leg to clear a dangerous cross but the ball fell to Luis Suarez whose bicycle kick went over the bar.
Colombia looked to have finally got the goal they deserved when Sanchez headed home at the back post — but it was ruled out for offside, seemingly by a toe, even after a VAR referral.
He wagged his finger in disagreement and the Colombian fans groaned in disappointment but they at least had reason to celebrate finishing top of the group.
ENGLAND SUPERSTAR MAKES HISTORY BUT BIG QUESTION REMAINS
Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scored second-half goals as England got the job done against Panama at the World Cup on Sunday, a 2-0 victory at the MetLife Stadium taking Thomas Tuchel’s team into the last 32 as Group L winners.
Real Madrid star Bellingham got on the end of a Bukayo Saka corner to break the deadlock just after the hour mark on a soggy day in New Jersey.
It was largely uninspiring stuff up to that point, but the opening goal had been coming and Bellingham then crossed for Kane to head in the second midway through the second half.
That was Kane’s third goal of the tournament after he netted a brace in the opening 4-2 win over Croatia, and the England captain has now moved clear of Gary Lineker as his country’s all-time leading World Cup scorer with 11.
Three of those goals came when England thrashed Panama 6-1 at the 2018 tournament in Russia, but the Three Lions did not have things quite so easy this time against hard-working but limited opponents.
Questions were perhaps being asked about England’s World Cup prospects an hour into this match, following the goalless draw against Ghana in Boston last Tuesday.
They have not yet reached the same heights again as in their victory against Croatia, but England advance to the next round on top of the group with seven points out of a possible nine.
Topping the section is important, as it means they avoid a possible clash with Spain in the last 16.
Instead they will head to Atlanta for a tie next Wednesday, July 1 against a third-placed team. Win that, and they will be off to Mexico City in the last 16, possibly to play Mexico, in the Azteca Stadium where they lost to Diego Maradona’s Argentina in 1986.
Tuchel will not be getting carried away thinking that far ahead, and there is surely a lot for England still to do before they are truly ready to take on and beat the tournament’s other heavyweights.
That said, it is unlikely they will come up against any more sides who play with such a low defensive block as Ghana did, and as Panama did for much of this contest.
The Central American nation, ranked 34th in the world, competed well but created few chances and have still never won a point at the tournament.
They lost all three group games at their debut World Cup in 2018, and go out after losing all three matches this time — all without scoring, with this result following 1-0 reverses against Ghana and Croatia.
Tuchel made five changes to his line-up following the Ghana encounter, notably choosing to rest Declan Rice from the midfield. Marcus Rashford and Saka got their first starts of the World Cup on the wings.
While England may have topped their group, Manchester United Roy Keane questioned how close Tuchel is to settling on his first-choice line-up.
“I still don’t think Tuchel has a clue what his best eleven is,” Keane declared on ITV.
Rashford forced a good save from Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera inside the opening 10 minutes, and later headed over an Elliot Anderson cross before curling a free-kick just past in first-half stoppage time.
Panama did also threaten once in the opening period, when Jordan Pickford had to get down to stop a Jose Luis Rodriguez shot at his near post.
England were pedestrian before the break, but the match started to open up for them following the restart.
Jose Cordoba nearly forced an own goal when his clearance came off teammate Andres Andrade and went narrowly over, and Mosquera then denied Kane.
A goal was beginning to feel inevitable and it arrived on 62 minutes as Bellingham held off Jorge Gutierrez at Saka’s corner to turn the ball in.
That was his second goal of the competition, and he then turned provider for Kane to make sure of the win.
Jose Fajardo then thought he had a late consolation for Panama, but his effort was disallowed for offside.
It has probably been England’s least remarkable group-stage showing at a World Cup since 2014, when they went out in the first round. This time, however, they are safely through.
DR CONGO QUALIFY FOR KNOCKOUTS
Yoane Wissa scored twice as DR Congo beat Uzbekistan 3-1 and qualified for the last 32 of the World Cup for the first time in their history on Saturday.
They will meet England after registering their ever World Cup win. Eldor Shomurodov’s lob over Lionel Mpasi gave the Uzbeks a perfect start in Atlanta.
But Newcastle striker Wissa levelled from the penalty spot before Fiston Mayele’s goal sent the mainly Congolese crowd into a frenzy.
Wissa rounded off a historic night for the Africans with a fine strike in stoppage time for his third goal of the tournament.
Uzbekistan knew before kick-off they were realistically elminated given the massive swing in goal difference they would need to progress.
However, Italian great Fabio Cannavaro stressed the importance of a win as a legacy for their first World Cup appearance and his players flew out of the traps.
Shomurodov smashed home after just 30 seconds but was flagged offside Uzbekistan’s captain and all-time leading scorer had to wait just 10 minutes longer for his moment to savour.
The Istanbul Basaksehir striker produced a sumptuous lob over Mpasi from a narrow angle.
Nathanael Mbuku thought he had brought the Congolese level with an equally fine strike that arrowed into the top corner.
However, after a VAR review Mbuku was punished for a soft foul on Sherzod Nasrullaev in the build-up as his hand brushed the face of the Uzbek defender.
DR Congo coach Sebastien Desabre said Wissa was showing the best version of himself after a poor first season at Newcastle since a £55 million (AU$105 million) move from Brentford.
Wissa scored his side’s equaliser in an impressive 1-1 draw against Portugal, but fired wastefully wide with a huge chance to level early in the second half.
At the other end Shomurodov nearly produced a second sublime lob as this time his effort dropped onto the roof of the net from the edge of the box.
DR Congo were beginning to run out of ideas until a rash challenge from Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov on Wissa gifted them a route back into the game and into the knockout stages.
Wissa picked himself up to calmly send Abduvohid Nematov the wrong way and whip up an explosion of noise from the nearly 70,000 in attendance.
Just two minutes later, the majority of the fans saw the moment of history they came for.
Meschack Elia’s deflected shot held up just enough for Mayele to nip in ahead of Nematov and flick the ball into the net.
Wissa completed the comeback by curling into the far corner from the edge of the area.
Congo’s progress continued a stunning World Cup so far for African sides. Only Tunisia of the 10 African teams at the tournament have been eliminated, while Algeria can join the eight nations to have progressed to the last 32 in the final group matches later on Saturday