Day 13: Haaland Sends Norway Through, Ronaldo Rewrites the Record Books

Day 13 was the day the marquee names answered the call. Erling Haaland scored twice to drag Norway into the knockouts for the first time since 1998; Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to put himself somewhere no footballer has ever been. And while the two biggest individual stories belonged to the headliners, the day’s quieter throughline was the tournament’s romance draining away — debutants Jordan knocked out, Panama eliminated, Uzbekistan all but gone.

A scheduling note first, because it trips people up: the day opens with two North American Monday-night kickoffs that tip past midnight in UTC terms, which is why Norway–Senegal and Jordan–Algeria sit on June 23 rather than the 22nd. The schedule groups everything by the UTC date of kick-off, so that’s how we’ll read it. This was round two for Groups I through L — nobody has lifted anything yet, but the shape of the final group games is now sharp.

Norway 3–2 Senegal: Haaland fires the Vikings into the last 32

Twenty-eight years of waiting, settled inside five second-half minutes. Norway’s 3–2 win over Senegal at a rain-flecked MetLife Stadium sealed a place in the Round of 32 — their first knockout appearance since France 1998, the last World Cup before Haaland was born.

It was not the headline act who opened the scoring. With Julian Ryerson forced off injured inside 13 minutes, his replacement at right-back, Marcus Holmgren Pedersen, pounced on a loose Kalidou Koulibaly clearance to lash Norway ahead on 43 minutes. Then Haaland took over: a calm finish from Martin Ødegaard’s slide-rule pass three minutes after the break, and a close-range poke on 58 after more Senegalese slackness. The first of those, Sky Sports noted, made him Norway’s all-time leading World Cup goalscorer — fitting, given he arrived as the man who finally had to deliver.

Senegal, to their credit, refused to fold. Ismaïla Sarr swept in a Sadio Mané flick on 53 and struck again deep in stoppage time to become — per AFP — the first Senegalese player to score at two different World Cups. The numbers flattered the losers: Senegal had 58% of the ball and 16 shots to Norway’s 13. But Norway were ruthless where it counted, and the win — their second of the tournament, and a first-ever set of back-to-back World Cup victories — was enough. Coach Ståle Solbakken, beaming, told Sky: “He is the best striker — he is not playing for France or Argentina, he scores for Norway. He’s scored four goals now, two braces on the biggest stage.” Those four goals in two games keep Haaland in the adidas Golden Boot conversation with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.

For Senegal — reigning African champions, and tipped by many for a deep run — it’s grim. Pape Bouna Thiaw’s side are the first Senegal team to lose their opening two World Cup games, with captain Koulibaly, rushed back from injury, exposed twice. “We’re not dead,” Thiaw insisted to reporters. He’s technically right: beat Iraq in the finale and Senegal could still sneak through as one of the eight best third-placed teams — but with a minus-three goal difference, they’ll need help.

Jordan 1–2 Algeria: a comeback, and a debut dream ended

For 36 minutes in California, Jordan’s first World Cup was a fairytale. Nizar Al-Rashdan’s outside-of-the-boot finish at Levi’s Stadium — beating Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane, son of Zinedine and a recent convert from France to his grandparents’ nation — handed the debutants their first-ever World Cup lead. It didn’t last.

Algeria, who’d been swatted aside by Messi’s Argentina on matchday one, leaned on their veterans and their set pieces. Vladimir Petković’s half-time changes did the trick: substitute Nadhir Benbouali headed home a Riyad Mahrez corner on 69, and Amine Gouiri bundled in the winner on 82 from another corner, the goal surviving a VAR check for offside. Both Algerian goals came from dead balls — exactly the frailty Jordan couldn’t afford.

The 2–1 turnaround carried real weight. As beIN Sports pointed out, Algeria had never previously come from behind to win a World Cup match, having lost all ten in which they conceded first. Mahrez, at 35, became the oldest player ever to start a World Cup game for Algeria. The result confirmed Argentina as Group J winners and left Algeria level with Austria on three points — setting up a straight shootout between the two for second place on the final matchday. Jordan, meanwhile, bow out after two games, their tournament debut over but their reputation enhanced.

Portugal 5–0 Uzbekistan: Ronaldo into uncharted territory

Doubts had been swirling about whether a 41-year-old should still be leading Portugal’s line. Cristiano Ronaldo answered them in six minutes, and then again in 39, in a 5–0 demolition of Uzbekistan in Houston.

The records came thick and fast, and they’re the real story. With his opener, Ronaldo became the first player in history to score at six different World Cups — 2006 through 2026 — breaking a tie with Messi. The brace took him to 10 World Cup goals, moving him clear of the great Eusébio as Portugal’s all-time leading scorer at the tournament. At 41 years and 138 days he is now the second-oldest scorer in men’s World Cup history, behind only Cameroon’s Roger Milla, and the oldest European ever to score at a major tournament. Opta logged it as his 24th World Cup appearance, a tally only Messi and Lothar Matthäus have bettered.

He wasn’t the only one making history. Nuno Mendes drilled in a free-kick on 17 minutes that Opta flagged as only the second direct free-kick Portugal have ever scored at a World Cup — the first being, naturally, Ronaldo against Spain in 2018. An Abduvokhid Nematov own goal and a late Rafael Leão strike rounded off the rout; Uzbekistan briefly thought they’d scored on 29, only for VAR to chalk it off for a foul.

For Uzbekistan, this is a harsh lesson on debut. Fabio Cannavaro’s White Wolves — Central Asia’s first World Cup side, captained from a back built around Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov — arrived without fear but leave Group K with no points and a minus-seven goal difference. Their first World Cup is, barring a mathematical miracle, already over.

England 0–0 Ghana: 79% of the ball, none of the goals

If Day 13 had a cautionary tale, it played out at Gillette Stadium near Boston, where Thomas Tuchel’s England had 79% of the ball, 19 shots and absolutely nothing to show for it. Ghana, ranked far below England in the world order, defended in a deep, disciplined block and walked off with a goalless draw that ESPN’s data team filed under historic: England’s possession share was the highest by any team that failed to score in a World Cup match in 60 years, and Ghana’s two shots the fewest England have conceded in a game over the same span.

It took England 57 minutes to register a shot on target, and they managed just 14 touches in the Ghanaian box all night. The best chance arrived on 87: Reece James crossed, substitute Nico O’Reilly thumped a header against the bar, and Harry Kane — England’s most reliable finisher — blazed the rebound over. “I just couldn’t quite get over the ball,” Kane admitted to reporters. “I’m backing myself to score that more often than not.” He stays on 10 World Cup goals, level with Gary Lineker as England’s all-time leading scorer at the finals; England also avoided a scare when Ezri Konsa escaped a penalty shout late on.

Tuchel was honest about the puzzle he couldn’t solve: “It is difficult to find a way through when someone plays a 4-5-1 and completely deep and is committed to it, and they celebrated a 0-0 like a win.” Across the touchline, the architect of that frustration was an old hand — Carlos Queiroz, at his fifth World Cup as a coach and a former Manchester United assistant who knows English football intimately. “I am so proud,” he said, “the way our players fought during the game, how much they stand behind the game plan.” The point leaves both sides on four, with a draw apiece in their finales enough to go through — though this was, by Tuchel’s own admission, a sobering reality check after the opening win over Croatia. Notably, it was the fourth major tournament in a row in which England have drawn their second group game.

Panama 0–1 Croatia: a super-sub, and a milestone for Modrić

Croatia needed a response after losing their opener to England, and they got one in Toronto — though it took a half-time gamble to find it. Zlatko Dalić sent on Ante Budimir at the interval, and the striker needed nine minutes to settle it, tucking in Josip Stanišić’s low cross at the back post on 54 for a 1–0 win that eliminated a brave Panama.

Panama were the better side early on — José Luis Rodríguez’s powerful header was tipped onto the bar by Dominik Livaković in the 23rd minute — and they pressed hard for an equaliser that never came, extending a tournament without a single goal. Croatia should have made it more comfortable: Marco Pašalić raced clear from a vintage Modrić pass soon after the goal but was denied by Orlando Mosquera and skied the rebound.

The night, though, belonged to the man in the armband. Luka Modrić made his 200th appearance for Croatia and was hoisted into the air by teammates at full-time; FIFA noted he has now featured in each of Croatia’s last 21 World Cup matches, a run stretching back to 2006. Budimir, for his part, became Croatia’s oldest World Cup goalscorer at 34 years and 336 days, edging the record Ivica Olić set in 2014. Croatia — who reached the last four at both 2018 and 2022 — move onto three points and into a Group L decider against Ghana, while Thomas Christiansen’s Panama head home.

The bigger picture: who’s through, who’s gone, what’s next

Round two is in the books for the final four groups, and the knockout maths is taking shape before the closing matchdays of June 26–28.

Group I: France and Norway (both six points) are through. Their head-to-head on Friday decides top spot; Senegal must beat Iraq and pray the best-third numbers fall their way.
Group J: Argentina are confirmed group winners. Algeria and Austria, level on three, meet in a winner-takes-second decider; Jordan are out and face the champions in a dead rubber.
Group K: Colombia (six) and Portugal (four) are in command, and their meeting will settle first place. Uzbekistan are all but eliminated.
Group L: The tightest of the lot. England and Ghana share top spot on four, Croatia lurk on three, and Panama are gone. Croatia–Ghana is effectively a knockout tie, while England need only a point against Panama to seal it.

Five matches, two of football’s giants in vintage form, and three more dreams pushed to the brink. The group stage’s final act is loading — keep up with every kick at whatsthescore.football.

Sources

Norway 3–2 Senegal

Jordan 1–2 Algeria

Portugal 5–0 Uzbekistan

England 0–0 Ghana

Panama 0–1 Croatia

Match data

WhatsTheScore match centre — Norway 3-2 Senegal, Jordan 1-2 Algeria, Portugal 5-0 Uzbekistan, England 0-0 Ghana, Panama 0-1 Croatia