While You Were Sleeping: England cruise past Croatia, Ghana snatch win at death, Colombia beat Uzbekistan
RED ALERT: Jerome Opoku (Ghana) and Cristian Martinez (Panama) collide in the box at Toronto Stadium. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty
Harry Kane equalled Gary Lineker’s record of 10 World Cup goals for England after his first-half double in the 4-2 win opening win against Croatia.
He opened the scoring with a retaken penalty in the 12th minute. Croatia then equalised through Martin Baturina, Kane doubled his tally when he powered a header into the bottom corner from Declan Rice’s corner.
Croatia drew level for a second time through Petar Musa on the stroke of half-time, second-half goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford sealed victory.
Read the full match report here.
J Pickford; R James, E Konsa, J Stones (M Guehi 87'), N O'Reilly; E Anderson, D Rice (M Rogers 72'), N Madueke (B Saka 72'), J Bellingham (D Spence 80'), A Gordon (M Rasford 72'); H Kane.
D Livakovic; J Sutalo, L Vuskovic (M Pasalic 66'), J Gvardiol; J Stanisic, L Modric (M Kovacic 58'), M Pasalic (A Kramaric 79'), I Perisic; P Sucic, M Baturina (N Vlasic 78'), P Musa (I Matanovic 66').
Clement Turpin.
Harry Kane (England).
"We were too focused on protecting the result. We were a back seven and we didn't defend. If the result doesn't go our way, we want to play our way. I tried to encourage them to go for it."
"We used to be quite good at set pieces. We didn't concede goals that easily, and we practised for this opponent. We knew the way England were going to play. It was disastrous, specifically when it comes to a team like England. About 40% of their goals are from set pieces."
Harry Kane became just the second England player to score at three separate World Cup tournaments (2018, 2022, 2026), along with David Beckham (1998, 2002, 2006). He also equalled Gary Lineker with 10 goals overall at the finals, the joint-most of any England players. - OptaAnalyst
While Kane’s performance will dominate the headlines, there were problems with England’s performance that Tuchel will seek to eradicate before the Group L games against Ghana and Panama.
Croatia’s first equaliser by Martin Baturina had its roots in a moment of hesitation by England in midfield and the English defence was unpicked with ease for Croatia’s second leveller just before halftime through Petar Musa.
The concern on the England bench was laid bare at the break when England assistant coach Anthony Barry spoke to broadcaster ITV about a "complicated and confusing first half", England’s "nervous energy" and "fearful patterns".
Tuchel raised eyebrows before kickoff when he selected John Stones to start in the centre of defence despite an injury-interrupted season with Manchester City, leaving Marc Guehi on the bench.
After England's defensively frail first half - which is all the more surprising after they conceded no goals during their World Cup qualifiers - the German has more thinking to do about how to balance the brilliance of his Kane-led attack with more sturdiness at the back.
Credit must go to the manager for whatever he did to these players at half-time. And also to Jude Bellingham, who scored what would turn out to be not just the decisive goal in this 4-2 win, but also a moment of drive and energy that was completely at odds with everything to that point.
This wasn’t quite an individualist’s goal, a dribble, or a moment of craft. It was an expression of basic sprinting will. It was an angry goal, and in exactly the right way. Bellingham took the ball in the right channel, running on to a simple pass over the top, and just kept going, veering inside, all drive and focus, with a rising sense of inevitability. He had the speed to leave two defenders mooching in his vapour trial, and the skill to produce a fine, cold, guided finish into the far corner at a full sprint.
A late goal from Caleb Yirenkyi gave Ghana a 1-0 win over Panama as they joined England at the top of Group L. Yirenki steered in Brandon Thomas-Asante’s cross in stoppage time to settle a match of few clear chances. Read the full match report here.
L Zigi (B Asare 45'); M Sanaya, J Adjetay, J Opoku, G Mensah; E Nuamah (A Fatawu 58'), C Yirenkyi, E Owusu (K Sibo 78'), A Semenyo; K Sulemana (B Thomas-Asante 58'), J Ayew (P Adu 87').
C Yirenkyi.
O Mosquera; J Ramos, J Cordoba, A Andrade; A Murillo, C Harvey, E Barcenas, C Blackman (A Godoy 90'); C Martinez (A Londono 63'), C Waterman (J Fayardo 63'), JL Rodriguez (I Diaz 74').
C Blackman, C Harvey.
Glenn Nyberg.
A Semenyo (Ghana).
"If you (have) a break, it's to do corrections. It was not hot, but we have to accept that the advertisers (on) television is what's paying for all these things."
Jordan Ayew has become the fourth player to represent Ghana at three different FIFA World Cup tournaments, joining Asamoah Gyan, Sulley Muntari, and his brother André Ayew. At 34 years and 185 days, he also surpassed Denis Odoi to become the oldest player to feature for Ghana in FIFA World Cup history. - OptaAnalyst
After having his visa appeal rejected just hours before Ghana were due to kick off against Panama, Thomas Partey (presumably) watched on on a television set somewhere as his nation narrowly escaped embarrassment on a rainy night in Toronto. It was a sitaution of what could have been - and how straight forward the night might have been had the former Arsenal man been pulling the strings in midfield.
Partey's composure in the midfield is exactly what Ghana needed on a night where they looked ragged and disjointed in the middle of the park especially on the back foot. Ghana will look forward to having Partey available for their June 23 match against England in Boston while Panama meet Croatia later that day in Toronto.
Ghana with a late winner to secure three points in Group L pic.twitter.com/vSXndAdyZg
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 18, 2026
Watch the goals below, as Colombia beat Uzbekistan in Mexico City.
Austria celebrated their long-awaited return to the World Cup with a 3-1 win over determined debutants Jordan early Wednesday, with substitute Marko Arnautovic the difference in a gritty, end-to-end match. Read the full match report here.
Spot the DR Congo fans in Lisbon 😅
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 17, 2026
They LOVED Yoane Wissa's equaliser! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Kn93PzWPPo
Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa scored the equaliser as the Democratic Republic of Congo frustrated Portugal at the start of Cristiano Ronaldo’s sixth World Cup campaign. Read the full report here.
Fifa has played down reports that ticketless England supporters were able to gain entry for the World Cup opener against Croatia after evading security checks at the Dallas Stadium.
An unspecified number of fans without tickets are said to have made their way into the ground despite a huge security operation being put in place at the home of the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington. Officials said that snipers were in place inside the stadium, with the Arlington police department deploying “highly trained personnel and specialised resources” at the venue.
But despite those measures and some fans having paid thousands of pounds for tickets, there were widespread reports of supporters without tickets gaining access.
“It was ridiculous,” one fan told the . “There were big gaps at the side of the ticket barriers and people just strolled through. There were volunteers who were basically old ladies and they weren’t stopping anyone. I scanned my ticket because I had one, but nobody checked my flag or my trophy. Loads just walked through while others just jumped over the top. There were huge gaps.”
South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo on Wednesday described the appearance of a drone during a closed World Cup training session as "unfortunate" ahead of the crucial Group A game against Mexico.
Mexican security forces told the device was intercepted over the training ground on Tuesday because it was not registered. The intervention was part of a security operation implemented across World Cup host cities that involves the coordination of thousands of personnel and advanced technology.
The heightened measures come as authorities attempt to bolster safety in Jalisco, a state that has faced high levels of insecurity generated by violent criminal groups fighting over drug trafficking routes and other crimes.
While the interruption occurred just as the squad was set to begin sensitive tactical work, Hong noted that the team's primary preparations remained intact.
"It did not impact us significantly, but while we were preparing for the match, that was the most important timing, so what happened was unfortunate," Hong told a press conference.
Loud boos during hydration breaks echoed around World Cup Group L matches on Wednesday as fans signalled their disdain for the innovation, first at Dallas Stadium for England's clash with Croatia and later in Toronto where Ghana faced Panama.
FIFA's mandatory three-minute breaks, one in each half, have proved controversial since being introduced for the first time at this World Cup to help players deal with the heat and humidity of the North American summer.
Critics say the breaks kill the flow of the game, while others see their introduction as a cynical ploy to split the game into four quarters and allow broadcasters more opportunities to show adverts.
England fans had said on social media they would signal their objection at Wednesday's match and the boos started from both sets of supporters as soon as referee Clement Turpin blew his whistle to signal the break in the 22nd minute.
The hydration break also received a cold reception in chilly Toronto for the day's other Group L game as fans booed while players from Panama and Ghana walked toward their respective benches as a steady rain poured down.
There were also boos from the crowd when the first break started on Tuesday in Norway's match against Iraq at Boston Stadium, where the temperature was a mild 23 degrees Celsius (73.4 degrees Fahrenheit).
Iraq were holding the Norwegians at 0-0 and playing well when the break started but conceded a goal four minutes after play resumed and lost 4-1.
South Africa endured a disastrous start to the 2026 World Cup. A ninth-minute Julian Quinones opener saw Bafana Bafana’s gameplan fall to pieces before they’d managed to gain a foothold in the Azteca match-up.
And their opener went from bad to worse when both Yaya Sithole and Themba Zwane were shown their marching orders after the break. Raul Jimenez’s second-half goal sandwiched between the two dismissals compounded a miserable 90 minutes. They need an immediate response in order to salvage their World Cup hopes. One win should be enough to secure a round-of-32 spot.
They can’t afford to fall to defeat against Group A rivals Czechia on Thursday. A second loss would likely see their North America adventure end with a whimper rather than a bang.
Switzerland dominated against Qatar on Saturday night. They took an early lead through a first-half Breel Embolo penalty. The European outfit were expected to go on and dominate the Middle East side. However, they failed to build upon Embolo’s strike.
Murat Yakin’s side mustered 26 shots against Qatar, generating 3.26 Expected Goals in the process. They were made to rue their inability to double their advantage over the weekend as Boualem Khoukhi headed in a late equaliser. Switzerland can ill-afford to make the same mistake against a resolute Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Dragons were steadfast in their 1-1 draw with co-hosts Canada last week. A similar showing will boost their own chances of a matchday two result.
Canada didn’t exactly miss captain Alphonso Davies against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their tournament opener on Friday. The Canucks dominated in Toronto last week and were unfortunate to have to share the spoils.
The return of captain Davies, though, would be a huge boost for their looming meeting with Qatar. The issue is that the 25-year-old hasn’t played since suffering a hamstring injury in Bayern Munich’s Champions League 1-1 draw with eventual competition winners Paris Saint-Germain.
There was hope he’d be fit to feature in the Qatar clash and make his first Canada appearance since March 2025. Davies is still yet to return to full training, raising fears that he’ll sit out the co-hosts’ second World Cup match.
The 2026 World Cup opener wasn’t short of drama. Three reds, a victory for co-hosts Mexico at the expense of South Africa and a tournament debut goal for striker Raul Jimenez. Cesar Montes’ late red was a blip on the record book, however.
Mexico will be without their vice-captain for their crunch match-up with South Korea. Both nations are locked on three points having won their World Cup opener, and the absence of Montes, who captained Mexico in the absence of Edson Alvarez, hinders their chances of making it two wins from two.
And reports from Mexico suggest that Alvarez himself will be the man to step in for Montes at the back. A midfielder by trade, Javier Aguirre needs a commanding presence in the side. The Fenerbahce man is considered the best option to partner Johan Vasquez.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
