Ronaldo Makes History as England Stalemate Ghana

Geoffrey Ashworth

[nostalgic][pauses] Six separate World Cups. Just... just let that sink in for a moment. You know, I- I remember watching the lad back in 2006, step up in Germany, all stepovers and wet hair, and you think, "Aye, talented, but will the legs hold up?" And here we are, nineteen years later, under the roof in Houston of all places, and... and he's still doing it. Cristiano Ronaldo. The first man in the history of this beautiful game to score in six different World Cup tournaments. It was the sixth minute, a trademark leap, and... and then a second before half-time to make it a five-nil rout for Portugal against Uzbekistan. It's- it's almost absurd, isn't it? The sheer longevity. He doesn't run like he used to, of course he doesn't, but that movement in the box... it's like a grand old stage actor who knows exactly where the light is going to hit. Speaking of Houston, if you're looking to start your own podcast to dissect these legendary moments, you ought to try Jellypod. It's an incredible AI tool that turns your daily newsletters or notes into a ready-to-share audio podcast in seconds. But, er, back to the pitch. Because while Portugal were dancing, England were... well, they were banging their heads against a very stubborn, very loud Ghanaian wall in Foxborough. [sighs] Oh, it was frustrating. A nil-nil draw at Gillette Stadium. Now, Thomas Tuchel, he made his changes. He brought in Gaye for Stones and Spence for O'Reilly, trying to inject some... I don't know, some thrust, some dynamism. But Ghana... Ghana had this absolute fire in them. Their manager had told them they weren't just eleven men on a pitch; they were representing thirty-three million lions back home. And by word, they played like it. They defended that box like their lives depended on it. England had... what? Seventy-nine percent possession? Nearly eighty percent of the ball! And yet, they couldn't find the key. O'Reilly rattled the crossbar, Marc Guéhi had a header cleared off the line in stoppage time... [scoffs] and then, of course, the VAR. A massive shout for an England penalty late on, absolutely waved away. You could feel the collective groan from the travelling support. It's that old footballing truth, isn't it? You can have all the ball in the world, but if you haven't got that clinical edge, that... that bit of magic, you're just passing it to death in front of a giant barricade.

Geoffrey Ashworth

[reflective][pauses] Now, away from the frustration in Foxborough, over in Toronto at BMO Field, we saw a different kind of battle. Croatia. They aren't the side they were in 2018, we know this, but they still have that... that gritty, tournament-hardened know-how. They got a one-nil win over Panama, and it was tough. It was ugly. But Ante Budimir, fifty-fourth minute, just lurking at the back post, taps it in. Simple as you like. And that is it. Panama's World Cup dream is officially over, shattered in the Canadian afternoon, and Group L is... well, it's wide open now. That's the beauty of this tournament. The fine, fine margins. Looking ahead to tonight, we've got Colombia taking on DR Congo at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara. A massive nightcap. Colombia can secure their place in the Round of 32 with a win there, but DR Congo... they are no walkovers. And then... oh, tomorrow. Wednesday is just a mouth-watering prospectus. [excited] We have Scotland taking on the mighty Brazil in Miami. Can you imagine the Tartan Army taking over Ocean Drive? It'll be a sight to behold. Then Canada hosting Switzerland in Vancouver, a massive home gate for them. And... and Czechia heading into the absolute lion's den. The Estadio Azteca. To face Mexico. That towering, historic monolith of a stadium. I've commentated there, you know. The thin air, the noise... it's like a coliseum. If Czechia can survive that, they can survive anything. Well, [chuckles] that is all from me today. Let's see how these grand old cathedrals of football treat us tomorrow. Good lad.