Matchday seven of the 2026 FIFA World Cup continued the action, with the tournament slowly converting ardent skeptics into real believers.
No one can resist the inherent magnetism of the beautiful game. It draws you in and hooks you with its stories, its action, and its personalities. And none are bigger than the superstars, the mega profiles that sell the most shirts and get the loudest cheers inside the stadium.
Matchday seven had no shortage of those kinds of players. Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Luka Modrić, Ivan Perišić, Luis Díaz, James Rodríguez. Let’s be charitable and also include Antoine Semenyo. Watching these players at the highest level is what makes the pinnacle of the sport feel special.
So it’s always a pleasure when they shine bright as the sun. Equally, it’s just as entertaining when they trip and fall.
DR Congo sucker punch a languid Portugal
This was supposed to be one of those one-sided games. Portugal are a team that some people think can win the World Cup. Most of those people aren’t old enough to drive yet, but still. No one expected how this would go.
Portugal struck first and struck hard. João Neves caught a beautiful cross by Pedro Neto to give the Europeans an early lead, just six minutes into the game. From that point it was all one way traffic, attack versus defense. Just what people expected.
The Paris Saint-Germain trio of Mendes, Neves, and Vitinha ran the show. Their ability to switch the rhythm from slow, controlled possession to blistering offense kept the Congolese players off balance and unable to respond. Then everything went wrong. For some reason, the Portuguese slowed it down a little too much. Many minutes would pass with the red shirts in possession without a single attack.
It cost them right at the end of the first half. The DRC went up the pitch and won a free kick in a dangerous area. Arthur Masuaku sent in an impeccable delivery, and Yoane Wissa was perfectly positioned to head it in. Somehow, despite dominating the first half, the Portuguese went into the half 1-1.
The second half went much more poorly for the men in red and green. DRC had come out to really play, and they had something to play for. Meanwhile, their opponents floundered. The crowd of Portuguese supporters in Houston watched in disbelief as their team struggled to mount a proper attacking sequence, unable to score even a single goal.
In the end, the game ended with the same score as the first half. DR Congo will feel they have achieved a major accomplishment, while Portugal will wonder what went wrong. First, they should probably address the 41-year-old elephant in the room. Cristiano Ronaldo was poor against the DRC, not involved in the buildup and unable to pose a credible threat in the box. If Roberto Martinez is serious about this tournament, he knows what he has to do.
Will he do it, though?
England show that they mean business
The marquee fixture of the matchday, a replay of the 2018 quarter finals. Harry Kane did not score that time, but after the season he just had with Bayern Munich, you would be a fool to bet against him.
Well, maybe not that much of a fool. Ten minutes into the game, Luka Modrić accidentally brought down Noni Madueke inside the box. Penalty. Harry Kane stepped up and … it was saved!? Kane was spared his blushes when VAR ordered the penalty be retaken due to the keeper being off his line. He did not miss the second time.
Croatia did manage to mount a comeback thanks to Martin Baturina in the 36th, but it was short lived. Harry Kane fired back from a corner to make it 2-1 barely six minutes later. Then, right before half time, Petar Musa slotted in a second equalizer courtesy of an assist by Ivan Perišić.
Thomas Tuchel must have been apoplectic in the dressing room because, after halftime, England came out swinging. Jude Bellingham put the Three Lions up 3-2 just minutes after kickoff. Then, after subs were made, Marcus Rashford made it 4-2 in the 85th minute, putting the game to bed. A strong start to the tournament for England, who have real hopes of making it all the way.
Ghana flip the script with a late win
Another underdog story? Maybe so. Ghana came into the game well below Panama in the FIFA rankings. They had not won a single one of their last six games before the tournament. They sacked their previous manager in March, with Carlos Queiroz only having a few weeks in the job. So what happened?
The first half was a little bit one sided, with Panama often threatening to leave Ghana in the dust. Goalkeeper Lawrence Zigi had to make several flying interventions to keep out deliveries aimed into the box. Meanwhile, Manchester City star Antoine Semenyo was anonymous, rendered a complete non-factor in proceedings.
Frankly, it was a minor miracle that Ghana survived that first half intact. The second half was better for them, in that both teams were equally bad. It looked like it was going to be scoreless, when, in the dying minutes of the game, Brandon Thomas-Assante managed to lose his marker and squared it across the box for Caleb Yirenkyi to tap in. The resulting celebrations were pure ecstasy from the Ghanaians. We call this a true smash-and-grab.
On they go, to face England next.
Colombia survive a scare vs. Uzbekistan
This was always going to be an uphill battle for Uzbekistan. They managed to hang on against a Colombian onslaught for over forty minutes, but eventually Luis Díaz sent a perfect ball over the top of the defense that was converted by Daniel Muñoz. The Uzbeks were probably glad the halftime whistle blew when it did.
Uzbek coach Fabio Cannavaro made some changes. Dostonbek Khamdamov and Farrukh Sayfiev came on at the break. It paid off as Uzbekistan looked far more competent than the first half. Then the unthinkable happened, Abbosbek Fayzullaev scored to make it 1-1. The sequence of events leading to the goal was so chaotic, catching a replay is a must.
However, Colombia would not take this lying down. Luis Díaz, no longer in the shadow of Harry Kane and Michael Olise, became the man of the hour by putting the Colombians back on top. Parity lasted for only five minutes.
Despite their dominance, this was an uncomfortable game for Colombia. Not only did they let Uzbekistan back into the game, they failed to put it to bed by scoring a third. A massive chance by Akmal Mozgovoy in the 89th minute could have seen the game turned on its head, though it happened to go wide. Another chance came just minutes later. Colombian fans in the stadium were treated to a nervy closing minutes as their countrymen failed at basic game management.
In the end, the gap in quality was too big. Despite Colombia’s slip-ups, they got their third at the death courtesy of some incredible work by Cucho Hernández. Just to cap off a chaotic end to the evening, Uzbekistan almost scored at the other end, hitting the post. Make no mistake, Colombia were pushed hard. The 3-1 scoreline flatters them.
Luis Díaz ended up being named Player of the Match, as his goal and assist effectively carried his nation to victory. A good day for attackers belonging to FC Bayern Munich.
In the end, glitz is not a bad thing
After all, isn’t that what we’re here for?
It’s different at club level, where all the best players play for the same teams. When Bayern Munich faced PSG in the UEFA Champions League this year, both sides could boast a plethora of world class players. The football on display was truly exhilarating, but the stars had to share the spotlight. When three or four Ballon d’Or contenders share the pitch, who gets to stand out?
It’s a simple observation. You can’t see stars during the day, because the sun is too bright.
At the World Cup, unless you’re France, every team only has a handful of truly stratospheric players. Many of them carry the hopes of their nation on their backs. It’s a completely different dynamic. For some of these players, only two or three World Cups, maybe less than fifteen games total, could define an entire international career.
The stakes are different. The pressure is different. The conditions are radically different. Who can stand up and make their nation proud? Are the legends of the past still able to keep up? Is this the year everything goes right? When does a star become a legend?
These questions can be asked all the time, but the answers you get during a World Cup matter more than usual. Because this is the pinnacle, the Mount Olympus of football. Ask any player which trophy they want to win the most, and it is the World Cup. So it’s not just about the superstars and how they perform, but what those performances mean. That’s what makes it special.
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