In one of the most anticipated clashes of the first phase of the World Cup, England played more efficient football and defeated Croatia 4-2 on Wednesday afternoon (17) at a packed AT&T stadium in Dallas, with 70,389 spectators, in Group L.
In the first half, Harry Kane scored twice, reached his tenth goal in World Cups and became, alongside Gary Lineker, England’s top scorer in World Cups.
Croatia sought a draw in the first half with beautiful goals from Baturina and Musa. The second stage saw pressure from the English, who scored with Bellingham and Rashford, and a great performance from Croatian goalkeeper Livakovic.
Next Tuesday (23), England will face Ghana in Boston, at 5pm, and Croatia will go to Canada to face Panama, at 8pm.
Win 1 x 0 Panama
Ghana debuted in the World Cup at BMO Field, in Toronto, with a second-half victory over Panama. The teams are part of Group L, alongside England and Croatia — countries considered favorites in the group.
A goalless draw seemed certain, but the African team took advantage of a counterattack in stoppage time. Brandon Thomas-Asante assisted midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi, who scored and secured the victory.
As a result, Panama remains without victories in World Cups. The team debuted at the World Cup in 2018, in Russia, and was eliminated in the group stage with defeats to Belgium (3-0), England (6-1) and Tunisia (2-1).
The Ghanaian team, coached by Portuguese veteran Carlos Queiroz, started well with the aim of repeating a good campaign, like that of 2010, when they reached the quarter-finals. This is the fifth time the team has participated in the World Cup.
A day after Lionel Messi commanded Argentina’s victory over Algeria with three goals, Cristiano Ronaldo had a discreet debut at the World Cup.
The Portuguese striker went blank in the 1-1 draw between Portugal and the Democratic Republic of Congo this Wednesday, at the Houston Stadium, in the United States. The goals were scored by João Neves and Yoane Wissa.
The difference between Messi and CR7 appears clearly in the statistics from the first round.
Cristiano remained on the field during the 90 minutes of Portugal’s match, but was unable to take any shots towards the opponent’s goal — he took two shots in a similar situation, after a cross from the right side of the attack.
The Argentine star, in turn, played for 80 minutes and ended the game with four shots on target and three goals.
The draw marked the Democratic Republic of Congo’s return to a World Cup after 52 years, when they were still competing as Zaire. The team reached two historic milestones: the first goal and the first point in the history of the tournament.
In the last game of the first round of the World Cup, Colombia imposed its greatest technical quality and defeated newcomers Uzbekistan 3-1 on Wednesday night at the Azteca stadium, in Mexico City, in Group K.
With the result, Colombia assumes the isolated leadership of the group, with 3 points, leaving the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Portugal in sequence with 1 point. In the lantern is Uzbekistan, zero.
The highlight of the duel was Colombian striker Luis Díaz, who scored the second goal and passed the first goal, from full-back Muñoz. Fayzullaev even tied the match at 1-1, but Díaz’s goal and then Campaz’s goal, in stoppage time, gave the final result.
Colombia returns to the field next Tuesday (23) to face the Democratic Republic of Congo, at 11pm (Brasília time). Uzbekistan faces Portugal on the same day, at 2pm.
