Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo silences his critics with a double goal at the FIFA World Cup 2026™, giving their side a 5-nil win against Uzbekistan. Harry Kane misses chances in England's nil-nil match against Ghana. Croatia's Ante Budimir makes a massive impact off the bench - leading Croatia 1-nil against Panama after half time. A late goal by Daniel Munoz lifts Colombia 1-nil against DR Congo. FIFA boss Gianni Infantino pushes back against the controversies around hydration breaks. And Socceroos' Mat Leckie set to miss game against Paraguay. Join your host Haylena Krishnamoorthy for this episode of World Cup Daily | The 90+ Podcast, as she discusses if Portugal's Ronaldo has a chance to win the golden boot; and brings you the latest talking points on the hydration break controversy.
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TRANSCRIPT
He's made a comeback! How did Ronaldo silence his critics?
Did Harry Kane miss chances in England's match against Ghana?
Croatia's Ante Budimir makes a massive impact off the bench - leading Croatia against Panama after half time.
A late goal lifts Colombia.
FIFA boss Gianni Infantino pushes back against the controversies around hydration breaks.
And Socceroos' key player set to miss game against Paraguay.
This is SBS News’ World Cup Daily: The 90+ Podcast, where we bring you the stories from on and beyond the pitch. I’m your host, Haylena Krishnamoorthy.
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It's only been a week apart since Argentina's Lionel Messi lit up the tournament with a hat trick…
..and France's Kylian Mbappé as well as Norway's Erling Haaland scored doubles in their matches.
And they did it again yesterday, all three legends scoring doubles in their games.
with the GOAT [[Greatest of all time]] Messi - who celebrates his birthday today - becoming the highest goal scorer in World Cup history.
Mbappé now is the second best goal scorer, after Messi, tying in with German striker, Miroslav Klose's record.
And Haaland? Well, he just keeps doing Haaland things. Powerful, clinical, inevitable in front of goal.
But the big question today was: could anyone else match that level?
Because Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo certainly had something to say about it...
...silencing his critics with a double in their 5-nil [[5-0]] statement win over Uzbekistan.
And in doing so, he’s made history again - becoming the first player ever to score in six different World Cups.
At 41, Ronaldo is now also the second-oldest scorer in World Cup history, behind Cameroon legend Roger Milla.
And what stands out isn’t just the goals - it’s the reaction.
Because coming into this match, there was real scrutiny: Is he finished at this level? Is Portugal moving past him?
To unpack the mood, I spoke with SBS Portuguese Executive Producer Luciana Fraguas.
She says there’s a real sense of relief in the community, but also pride.
"Now we can really have the space to celebrate our Portuguese team and our Cristiano Ronaldo, so the community is happy, is celebrating. We did a vox pop with some of our community members, and they, now are back, are back on track and really hopeful that Portugal can progress in the tournament after such amazing victory. Five-nil, you know, convincing. It showed the quality of the team's performance, a team that looks dynamic, intense, technically sharp throughout the match."
Commending his tactical approach.
"He said after the game, "If I don't play well, I'm too old and ready to retire, and when I play good as I did today, I am the GOAT. I'm the best." So "I'm used to criticism," he said, and that actually helps him to go forward. Cristiano makes us very proud. CR7, our GOAT, is back, and yeah, it made World Cup so beautiful. Beautiful goals, beautiful moments to watch."
Portugal looked like a team transformed, with structure and depth,..
..quicker passing, higher pressing, and much more fluid movement around Ronaldo.
So, will Ronaldo be up for a golden boot chance? Fraguas says he's on top of his performance.
"I think it's actually long overdue because he was the top scorer in previous tournaments. And since he went to Saudi Arabia, his brand, his name changed. They, they're not thinking, as much about him for the golden boot, but I think it's, it's long overdue. I think he showed an amazing, discipline, character."
She says there's around 60-thousand people in the Portuguese-speaking community, here in Australia.
This includes the Portuguese community from Portugal, the Brazilian community, and she tells me they cater to Cape Verde supporters too.
But as a Brazilian national living in Australia for more than 20 years, her heart is divided.
Fraguas says she supports Brazil and Portugal - hoping they go all the way to the quarter-finals.
"Both teams, they show the joga bonito that we call in Portuguese, and I think they're great, great to see. From a Brazilian point of view, we are all happy in Australia that Portugal won. We are super proud that Cristiano Ronaldo exists and can gives us so much happiness. I find when I see Portugal, and I saw today the team hugging each other, you know, as a group, I was missing that, you know? So it was beautiful to see."
Despite their heavy loss, Uzbekistan coach Fabio Cannavaro says it is still possible for the team to proceed to the next round.
"In the first two rounds we faced Colombia and Portugal. They're two of the best teams in the world. Now we have to prepare again the team. Of course, I need to try to tend to my place and not give up. Because of course, we consider five goals today is too much."
Earlier, England's Thomas Tuchel's side stumbled to a nil-nil [[0-0]] draw with Ghana.
And it wasn't lack for chances.
England dominated stretches of possession, but once again ran into a low defensive block.
Teams are sitting deeper, slowing tempo, and forcing patience rather than chaos.
Attempts by Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke weren't enough.
Tuchel says it was a tough match - and he regrets the missed chances.
"If it should drop to anybody. It should drop to Harry. That's normally a clear goal for us. It was a big chance and then a double chance. It would have been deserved, but it was difficult. We knew it before that it cane be difficult. If you don't open it up with a goal. It is a game of patience. And it is difficult to inject intensity because it is such a low block. I think at the end of each half, we had them. We found our rhythm, found our intensity. The longer the half went, we could not just get the reward."
And for Ghana supporters?
Nana Kojo says the nil-nil draw means so much more.
"They played (Ghana) very well, we didn’t expect this performance. They’ve done very well and this shows that football has changed, football is dynamic. This is not old football, we are moving forward."
Elsewhere, Croatia showed exactly how to break that kind of resistance.
Ante Budimir came off the bench at half-time and made an immediate impact, helping Croatia take a 1-nil lead over Panama.
It’s another reminder of something we’re seeing repeatedly: substitutes are deciding matches more than ever.
And Colombia's Daniel Munoz scored a winning goal at the 76th min against DR Congo - placing them at 1-nil...
...with two more great attempts right after, but it was disallowed/offside.
Prior to that, DRC goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi had a great run of remarkable saves.
And off the pitch, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has pushed back on criticism over hydration breaks.
There’s been growing debate that the stoppages disrupt momentum, and even benefit broadcasters, but Infantino insists that’s not the case.
"I want to stress this because I hear as well, it's about money or things like, it is not. We don't make one dollar more revenues in FIFA with these hydration breaks. Because all our contracts were signed well ahead of the decision to have these breaks. Broadcasters maybe, they make, they generate more. I don't know, that's great for them. But for us, we make zero additional revenues."
He says the priority is player welfare and fairness, especially in challenging conditions.
Still, not everyone is convinced, and it’s becoming one of the more talked-about off-field issues of the tournament.
Back home, it’s mixed news for the Socceroos.
Mat Leckie is set to miss Friday’s match against Paraguay [[2 PM AEST]] after leaving the USA game injured.
Assistant coach Paul Okon says the team will miss his presence on the pitch.
"So at the moment he is not active. It is very unfortunate. He is an experienced player. We could have continued to use him in this game. But whatever happens with Mat will depend on far we go into this tournament.
While a win would be phenomenal, a draw is enough to lock up second spot in Group D and book their place in the knockout stages.
Tomorrow, we’re looking ahead to another huge slate of fixtures:
Switzerland vs Canada, Bosnia facing Qatar, Scotland taking on Brazil, Morocco facing Haiti, Mexico against Czech Republic, and South Africa vs South Korea.
Stay tuned for the latest at the World Cup Daily | The 90+ Podcast.
And to get the latest World Cup news, check out SBS News Headlines, wherever you get your podcasts.
