June 23 evening briefing: Ronaldo roars back, England stall, late games pending

Portugal finally got the release it needed. Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice, Portugal put five past Uzbekistan, and Group K no longer looks like the slow-burn trap it did after the opening draw. England went the other way: 79% possession, 19 shots, no goal, no qualification clinched yet. This briefing is current to 22:00 UTC on June 23, with Panama-Croatia and Colombia-DR Congo still to come.

Results ledger: what is already final

Match	Venue	Score and scorers	Why it matters
Portugal vs. Uzbekistan	Houston	Portugal 5-0 Uzbekistan. Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the 6th and 39th minutes, Nuno Mendes in the 17th, Abduvohid Nematov conceded a 60th-minute own goal, and Rafael Leão added the fifth in the 87th. 1	Portugal moved to 4 points and +5 goal difference in Group K; Uzbekistan stayed on 0 points after two matches. 2
England vs. Ghana	Boston/Foxborough	England 0-0 Ghana. Nico O'Reilly hit the woodwork late, Marc Guéhi had a header cleared off the line, and Benjamin Asare made three saves for Ghana. 3	England and Ghana both moved to 4 points; England still lead Group L on goal difference but must wait for the Panama game to confirm qualification. 3

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring for Portugal — Ronaldo needed six minutes to end his tournament drought, then added a second before half-time in Portugal's 5-0 win. 4

Ronaldo's answer was emphatic, not subtle

The record is the headline: Ronaldo became the first man to score at six different World Cups. ESPN reported that his sixth-minute finish also ended a 10-game major-tournament scoring drought stretching back to November 2022. 5

The performance mattered almost as much as the milestone. Portugal had looked stuck in its 1-1 opener against DR Congo, with Ronaldo's role under scrutiny. This time he had seven shots, five on target and two goals, according to ESPN's post-match analysis. 6

The route to five was clean enough to change the group conversation: Cancelo found Ronaldo at the near post, Mendes caught Uzbekistan with the free-kick routine, Bruno Fernandes slipped Ronaldo through for the third, then the own goal and Leão's late strike turned it into a goal-difference swing. 1

Group K standings after Portugal-Uzbekistan — Portugal temporarily went top of Group K, but Colombia can still move clear if they beat DR Congo in the late match. 2

England had control, but not enough incision

England's draw with Ghana was not a collapse. It was a warning. BBC's match data had England at 78.8% possession, 19 shots, 3 on target, 9 corners and 1.29 xG, while Ghana produced 2 shots and 0.29 xG. 3

That is the kind of stat line that usually reads like dominance. Here it read like frustration. Ghana's block held, England did not get a shot on target until the 57th minute, and Tuchel had to use Bukayo Saka, Morgan Rogers, Marcus Rashford and Nico O'Reilly to add late urgency. 3

Alan Shearer called it "not a disaster" but "a reality check" on BBC's post-match coverage. That feels about right: England remain first in the group, but this was a very different problem from Croatia, where space opened and the front line could run. 3

Jude Bellingham and Elliot Anderson talk during England-Ghana — England had the ball all night, but Ghana's low block left Tuchel's side waiting until the final group game to secure a last-32 place. 3

Group stakes now

Group K

Portugal are on 4 points from two matches and +5 goal difference. Colombia still had only one match played at the time of this briefing; a win over DR Congo at 02:00 UTC would move Colombia to 6 points and make the Portugal-Colombia finale a group-winner decider. 7

Uzbekistan are still alive only in the narrow mathematical sense. BBC's table has them on 0 points and -7 goal difference after two matches, with DR Congo still to play. 2

Group L

England and Ghana both have 4 points after their draw. England lead on goal difference, +2 to Ghana's +1, but the group is not closed because Panama-Croatia kicks off at 23:00 UTC. 3

If Panama-Croatia produces a winner, the loser will be under real pressure before the final round. ESPN's clinching guide had already framed the loser of that game as the side in danger of elimination, with England and Ghana still above the line. 8

Group L standings after England-Ghana — England stayed first after the Ghana draw, but the Panama-Croatia result still matters for the final-round pressure in Group L. 3

Injury and squad watch

Bukayo Saka: The Independent's tracker says Saka is managing a long-term Achilles issue, has made two substitute appearances, and could start England's final group match against Panama if he remains pain-free. 9
Neymar and Raphinha: Neymar has returned to full training and is in contention for Brazil's Scotland match, while Raphinha is still working back from the hamstring injury suffered against Haiti. 9
Christian Pulisic and Alphonso Davies: Pulisic missed the U.S. win over Australia with a calf problem, while Davies was on Canada's bench against Qatar but did not play; both remain return-watch names for the next round of group games. 9
Aaron Hickey: Scotland's right-back trained alone before the Brazil match and is described as a doubt for Group C's final-round test. 9

Fixture board: next 24 hours in UTC

Kickoff (UTC)	Match	Venue	What to watch
Jun 23, 23:00	Panama vs. Croatia	Toronto	Group L's pressure match; the loser falls behind England and Ghana before the final round. 7
Jun 24, 02:00	Colombia vs. DR Congo	Zapopan/Guadalajara	Colombia can overtake Portugal at the top of Group K with a win. 7
Jun 24, 19:00	Switzerland vs. Canada	Vancouver	First place in Group B is on the line; Canada lead the group on goal difference. 10
Jun 24, 19:00	Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar	Seattle	Both teams enter on 1 point; the loser is in serious danger of exiting. 10
Jun 24, 22:00	Scotland vs. Brazil	Miami Gardens	Brazil can secure top-two control; Scotland may still be positioned for a third-place route, but the Hickey fitness note matters. 10
Jun 24, 22:00	Morocco vs. Haiti	Atlanta	Morocco are chasing Brazil at the top of Group C; Haiti are already eliminated. 10

Bottom line

Ronaldo turned the noisiest question around Portugal into a five-goal answer. England turned a likely qualification clincher into one more day of work. The late slate now decides whether Colombia can push Portugal back into a winner-takes-top-spot finale, and whether Croatia or Panama still have a clean route out of Group L.