Matchday 13 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be remembered more for Cristiano Ronaldo’s redemption arc, as he became the first player in history to score at six different tournaments as he netted a brace during Portugal’s 5-0 thumping of Uzbekistan.
On top of that, Colombia officially stamped their ticket to the Round of 32 knockout stage with a win over DR Congo, while England struggled to overcome Ghana, with the tournament overall establishing a new scoring high watermark.
Striver.Football gives you a recap of all the action from matchday 13.
Group K: Ronaldo Makes History As Colombia Book Their Place
Portugal 5-0 Uzbekistan
The single biggest individual story of the night unfolded at Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico as Cristiano Ronaldo rewrote international football history.
Facing tournament debutants Uzbekistan, Portugal rebounded ruthlessly from their opening stalemate. Ronaldo single-handedly dominated the penalty box, striking twice to spearhead a resounding 5-0 demolition.
His historic brace means Ronaldo is now the first player in football history to score in six separate World Cup editions. It was also his 10th goal at a World Cup stage.
Nuno Mendes and Rafael Leao also found the back of the net, alongside an unfortunate own goal from Abduvohid Nematov, moving Portugal to four points and well within sight of the knockouts.
Colombia 1-0 DR Congo
In the group's other clash, Colombia officially guaranteed their progression to the Round of 32 after grinding out a hard-fought 1-0 victory over DR Congo.
Despite commanding possession and registering an overwhelming 15 shots in the first half alone, Los Cafeteros were repeatedly thwarted by an inspired performance from Congolese goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi.
The breakthrough finally materialised in the 76th minute when Crystal Palace defender Daniel Munoz cut in from the right and fired a left-footed effort that took a deflection past Mpasi.
The narrow win keeps Colombia perfect at the summit of Group K with six points, while veteran playmaker James Rodríguez celebrated matching the Colombian record of 10 World Cup appearances.
Read More: DR Congo’s Living Statue Returns: Why Lumumba Vea Is One Of The World Cup’s Most Unique Fans
Group L: England Stalled By Ghana While Croatia Stay Alive
England 0-0 Ghana
In Boston, a deeply frustrating evening unfolded for Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, who were held to a lackluster 0-0 draw by a remarkably disciplined Ghana team.
The Three Lions enjoyed nearly 80% of possession but struggled heavily to generate penetration or find structural answers against the Black Stars' suffocating 5-4-1 low-block defense under the stewardship of Carlos Queiroz.
The match marked the first game of the 2026 tournament to go into the halftime interval without a single shot on target from either team.
Substitute Nico O'Reilly came closest to a late breakthrough when his 86th-minute header hit the crossbar, but Harry Kane blazed the rebound over, leaving England with work left to do in their final group fixture.
Croatia 1-0 Panama
In the later Group L kickoff, Croatia kept their tournament ambitions firmly alive while officially eliminating Panama from the competition with a tense 1-0 victory.
On a landmark night that marked legendary midfielder Luka Modric’s historic 200th international cap for his country, Zlatko Dalić's men controlled the transition spaces to limit Panama's attacking output.
The decisive blow arrived in the 54th minute when forward Ante Budimir struck a crucial goal after coming off the bench to seal the maximum three points for the Croatians, throwing the qualification permutations in Group L completely wide open ahead of the final matchday.
2026 World Cup Sets New Group Stage Scoring Record
Despite the goalless affair between England and Ghana, Matchday 13 marked the exact structural point where the 2026 tournament officially became the highest-scoring World Cup group stage in football history.
Fueled heavily by Portugal's five-goal outburst, the collective goals across all groups officially eclipsed the previous total group-stage record set during the 2014 edition in Brazil.
Matchday 13 By the Numbers
6 – World Cup tournaments scored in by Cristiano Ronaldo, an outright record in football history.
200 – International caps achieved by Luka Modric during Croatia's victory over Panama.
76 – The exact game minute Daniel Munoz struck the qualification-sealing goal for Colombia.
15 – First-half shots attempted by a relentless Colombia side against DR Congo.
0 – Shots on target registered by both teams combined during a turgid first half between England and Ghana.
