Colombia vs. Congo DR Live World Cup 2026 Updates, Scores and Highlights

It wasn't smooth sailing, but Colombia earned all three points in Guadalajara via a narrow victory over Congo DR.

While they threatened early in the first half, a quieter spell after the initial hydration break followed and opened the door for Congo DR to gain a foothold towards the end of the opening period. With goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi-Nzau making save after save, Congo DR found themselves in the game. That slowly started to change in the second half, however.

Big decisions on substitutes from both managers helped influence the second half. Sébastien Desabre removed Cédric Bakambu from his lineup just before the hour mark. Néstor Lorenzo, for his part, subbed off James Rodrigues and Luis Suarez, bringing on Juan Quintero and Jhon Cordoba in their place. For Colombia, those substitutions turned out to be crucial. It was Cordoba, the big-bodied striker, who cleared the path for Daniel Munoz's go-ahead goal in the 76th minute.

The strike was deflected, but it also served as a moment of redemption for Munoz, who missed an early chance that could've made life much easier for Colombia on the evening. After the goal, Colombia never looked back. Two disallowed goals from Luis Diaz couldn't sour the evening: Colombia had won.

Now on top of Group K, Colombia have booked their spot in the knockout rounds. If Congo DR can top Uzbekistan in their final group match, they could join them there.

Close, but not quite for the Bayern star.

It's Daniel Munoz with redemption after his early missed chance! Colombia lead Congo DR 1-0.

We're still deadlocked at the hydration break. Will there be a winner?

Like in the first half, it's all bark, no bite for Colombia. Still 0-0!

Let's see what this 45 minutes has in store!

In their quest to land atop the Group K standings, Colombia didn't waste any time pushing numbers forward into the attack against Congo DR.

With an attack headlined by James Rodriguez and Bayern Munich superstar Luis Diaz, Colombia found cracks in Congo DR's deep 5-3-2 block, even in the opening minutes. A strike from right back Daniel Munoz went down as perhaps the best chance of the opening period, though it couldn't nestle into the back of Congo DR's net despite the lovely buildup that preceded it.

Lionel Mpasi-Nzau, the standout Congo DR goalkeeper who plies his trade for Le Harve, has stood strong between the posts thus far, despite facing a number of driven shots. His team settled into the game nicely to finish out the first half and are very much in the match as the second 45 minutes approaches.

And so, the match remains scoreless. Will the second half see a winner emerge?

Are you kidding me? An absolute dream spot to take in a game.

There's been plenty of last-ditch defending from this team so far to keep the game scoreless.

It was nearly 1-0 in favor of Colombia, but the offside trap held for Congo DR.

How close is that for Colombia?!

Vamos!

Some star power in the attack tonight, eh?

Croatia can breathe a sigh of relief, having claimed their first set of points at this World Cup. Panama, meanwhile, are in agony after officially being eliminated from the tournament.

After an even first half with few clear-cut chances on either side, Croatian manager Zlatko Dalic's halftime changes made an impact. Dalic went so far as to take off one of his true stars in Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol in an effort to get more attacking threat on the field.

A goal from Ante Budimir, one of those substitutes, in the 54th minute broke the deadlock. Josip Stanisic's picture-perfect assist created the chance, but only after Marco Pasalic freed the Bayern Munich defender to fire off his cross on the right wing.

As they tried to get back into the match, Panama were quite sloppy on the ball in the final third, clearing the runway for Croatia to attack freely in transition. Still, Thomas Christiansen's team managed to threaten Dominik Livaković's goal. But the Croatian net minder did his job and then some to maintain a clean sheet.

After the win in Toronto, Croatia find themselves on three points sitting third in Group L, one point behind both England and Ghana. They'll have a chance to clinch a spot in the knockouts when they face Ghana on Saturday. Panama, for their part, find themselves eliminated at the first hurdle, just like they were at their first World Cup in 2018.

It's still 1-0 in favor of Croatia, but Panama are threatening!

An utterly massive goal for Croatia, one that puts Panama on the brink of elimination.

Can Modric break this game open?

The stakes are high for Panama and Croatia, with the loser facing elimination from the World Cup following Ghana's 0-0 draw with England earlier today. It's been a level first half, too, adding to the drama of the evening in Toronto.

As expected, Croatia have seen plenty of the ball in the opening period. Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic have dictated play from the base of midfield, while Martin Baturina plays closer to striker Petar Musa. Baturina, in particular, has been very sharp, taking clever touches around pressure and kickstarting attacks for Croatia

Panama haven't been afraid of the occasion, though. Thomas Christiansen's side is known for their ability to take the sting out of games with a bit of patience – and that's exactly what they've done. With a well-drilled 3-4-3 possession setup and the ability to hit long diagonal switches into their wingbacks, Panama have made life difficult for Croatia. Michael Murillo has been Panama's biggest threat from his right wingback spot, dancing past Josko Gvardiol late in the first half.

With the game on a knife's edge, the second half will be nervy.

Panama showing their savvy!

Let's get this party started!

Can Panama keep their World Cup hopes alive? Or will Croatia cruise?

Ghana produced a resolute defensive performance to hold England to a 0-0 draw at Boston Stadium.

Defending deep and in numbers for much of the game, Ghana largely kept their opponents at bay and arguably created the most dangerous moment. Prince Adu broke clear of the England defence in the 79th minute, but his shot was smothered by a combination of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and a last-ditch effort by Ezri Konsa.

England dominated territory and possession, but their attack was largely blunted until the closing stages. With five minutes of normal time remaining, substitute Bukayo Saka forced a good save from goalkeeper Benjamin Asare before Nico O'Reilly hit the crossbar with a header from the winger's cross. Captain and star forward Harry Kane then looked certain to score from the rebound, but his effort ballooned over the bar.

The Three Lions saved their most consistent spell of serious pressure for stoppage time, but several corners failed to yield the breakthrough.

There will be concerns over the lack of creativity for Thomas Tuchel's side, but Ghana deserve credit for frustrating their opponents. England will be hoping that the thrilling 4-2 win over Croatia in their opening game is more reflective of their potential at the tournament.

Kane fires over and it's still 0-0.

England turning on the pressure late...

Not the game England were hoping for but getting some help.

No cards for either side here.

Been quite a slow game, to say the least.

England and Ghana went into half-time level at 0-0 after a tepid first 45 minutes at Boston Stadium.

While England have dominated possession with a 78 percent share, they have struggled to break down a stubborn opposing defence. The Three Lions have registered just six shots and a 0.27 expected goals tally, according to FotMob, and manager Thomas Tuchel should have much to consider entering the break.

England's best chance came for midfielder Declan Rice, who was unable to keep his header down after meeting Noni Madueke's cross from the right, while Ghana have yet to register an attempt on goal.

Tuchel's substitutes will likely come into focus, with a change of approach possibly necessary against a Ghana team that has defended in numbers. He could look to strikers Ivan Toney or Ollie Watkins to provide additional numbers in the penalty area, while Morgan Rogers, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford will also be tempting options.

That's about all that has happened so far in this game.

England and Ghana set to square off. Here we goooooo.

Stones dropped for England in favor of Marc Guehi, O'Reilly out for Spence

Two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo helped Portugal to a 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan in Houston.

Ronaldo found the back of the net twice either side of a Nuno Mendes free kick in a first half that saw Portugal leave with a 3-0 lead, with an own goal adding to their lead in a far quieter second half.

Ronaldo's opener came after just six minutes, when he smashed a low drive into the bottom corner following João Cancelo's low cross. He celebrated with his team in front of the bench in what appeared a cathartic moment for the forward after his and the team's struggles in a 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo in their opening game.

Portugal's bright start continued, and Nuno Mendes doubled their lead in the 17th minute. With Ronaldo acting as a decoy, the left-back bent a free-kick on the edge of the area past Abduvohid Nematov and into the bottom corner.

While Ronaldo stepped aside for Mendes, he went on to add to his tally 22 minutes later after latching onto Bruno Fernandes' perfectly weighted through-ball and finding the bottom corner once again.

After Nematov denied Ronaldo his hat-trick following a set-piece routine early in the second half, Portugal added their fourth from the resulting corner. Fernandes' low delivery was flicked on by João Félix at the near post, with the final touch coming from Nematov.

Substitute Rafael Leão scored the fifth with three minutes of normal time remaining. He combined with fellow substitute Nelson Semedo, whose cutback was fired into the top corner by the AC Milan winger.

Uzbekistan had earlier appeared to drag Portugal back to 2-1 shortly after the first-half hydration break, but a foul on Cancelo in the build-up cancelled out Aziz G'aniev's strike from the edge of the area.

It was the only notable moment of concern for Portugal in a comfortable victory, with the only disappointment perhaps being Ronaldo's failure to secure his hat-trick after seeing multiple attempts turned away.

GG, thanks for playing Uzbekistan

Khusanov with the unfortunate touch for Portugal's fourth.

Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo produced a vastly improved performance to take a 3-0 lead over Uzbekistan into half-time in Houston.

Manager Roberto Martinez resisted calls to bench Ronaldo after the 41-year-old struggled in the team's 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo in their opening game, and the decision was vindicated early on.

After his team generated multiple dangerous moments in the early stages, Ronaldo opened the scoring in the sixth minute, lashing home João Cancelo's low cross. 

Eleven minutes later, Ronaldo looked set to attempt to double his tally from a free kick after Pedro Neto drew a foul on the edge of the penalty area following a turnover. With his captain poised over the ball, though, it was Nuno Mendes who instead stepped up to send the set piece around the wall and into the bottom corner.

Uzbekistan did begin to make inroads after the hydration break, and they quickly appeared to have halved the deficit through a wonderstrike by Aziz G'aniev. Video review showed Cancelo had been fouled while surrendering possession in the build-up to the goal, however, and it was disallowed.

Portugal, though, were still finding space in transition, and Ronaldo added his team's third goal with six minutes remaining until half-time. A quick combination in midfield opened space for Bruno Fernandes to free Ronaldo, who made no mistake in a one-on-one with goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov.

Two goals in the first half for CR7.

Unreal strike chalked off after foul.

Portuguese turning on the style

He has DONE it. And what a banger.

Just a step behind there.

Can Ronaldo lead the Portuguese to victory?

Cristiano Ronaldo starts once again

So much more World Cup left to enjoy...but get the story on Uzbekistan to start your day off right.