Ronaldo scores at a sixth World Cup as England draw a blank

On Tuesday, Cristiano Ronaldo did something not even Lionel Messi has managed: he scored at a sixth different World Cup. Two goals in Portugal’s 5-0 rout of Uzbekistan in Houston stretched a scoring run that started back in 2006, when a few of his teammates were still in primary school.

Ronaldo, still rewriting the record book

The 41-year-old opened after six minutes and added a second before the break, taking his World Cup tally to 10, more than any Portugal player, Eusébio included. Nuno Mendes, an own goal off the head of Abduvokhid Nematov and a late Rafael Leão finish handled the rest. A day after Messi grabbed every headline, Ronaldo replied in the only currency these two still trade in. Portugal are all but through to the knockouts.

England’s 78.8% of nothing

A few hours up the road in Boston, England served up the strangest kind of dominance. They had 78.8% of the ball against Ghana, the most possession they have ever recorded in a World Cup match, and converted all of it into a 0-0 draw. Nineteen shots, the first on target not arriving until just before the hour, against a Ghana side perfectly content to sit deep and usher them as far as the edge of the box. Per Opta, it is the most possession any team has had in a World Cup game without scoring since 1966. Plenty of the ball, none of the net.

Croatia get going, Panama go home

Toronto offered the tidier story. Ante Budimir, on from the bench, tapped in a Josip Stanisic cross on 54 minutes to give Croatia a 1-0 win over Panama and finally start the 2018 finalists’ tournament. For Panama it was the end of the road: out, and still waiting on a first point in two World Cup appearances.

Six and counting: Ronaldo has now scored at six World Cups, one more than Messi.

See how Groups K and L are shaping up on the live table.

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