Month: June 2026

Croatia was able to secure a second place finish in Group L after defeating Ghana 2-1 at Philadelphia Stadium on Saturday afternoon. It was a hard-earned victory for Croatia, which began the game slowly until it found a long-range goal from Petar Sučić. After Ghana mounted a comeback to equalize, Croatia pulled ahead for good with a late set-piece goal. Here are my thoughts on it all: 1. Sučić’s Goal Set The Tone In the early stages of this game, there was very little offense for either team. That changed in the 31st minute when Mateo Kovacić found Petar Sučić in the middle of the field. The Inter Milan midfielder seemed surprised with how much space he had and opted to hit a powerful low shot inside the left post past Ghana goalkeeper Benjamin Asare. For Sučić, it was just his second goal for the national team, but he continues to be an important player for head coach Zlatko Dalić after deciding to switch his national team affiliation from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Croatia in 2024. It was the first goal that Ghana conceded in this World Cup but the tone of the game changed. Prior to that, everything was defensive. The only other real chance for Croatia had been when Nikola Vlašić hit the post following a mistake. Following the goal, Croatia began to look more comfortable in possession. Its passes were more attack oriented through the remainder of the half. 2. Ghana Had An Impressive Second-Half Response After Sučić’s goal, Ghana was forced to chase a goal for the first time this tournament. Head coach Carlos Queiroz was only hired just before the tournament and his most important priority was to patch up the team’s leaky defense. Forced to attack, Queiroz made a series of changes at halftime, likely to seek to support the team’s attackers, including Manchester City winger Antoine Semenyo, who is the team’s best offensive player. Those changes worked and at the start of the second half, Ghana began to generate more balls played deeper in Croatia’s half. In the 73rd, Ghana finally found its equalizer on a free kick from Ernest Nuamah that found central defender Derrick Luckassen. It took a long VAR review to confirm the goal, but ultimately it was given when it was judged any player Ghana had in an offside position on the free kick was not interfering with the play. 3. A Flashback Performance By Modrić In a tournament where players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are defying age, Luka Modrić also put in a performance that was reminiscent of when he was arguably the best midfielder in the world. After Ghana scored, all the momentum was in favor of the Black Stars. The game was now even and Ghana had most of the possession and scoring chances in the second half. Then Croatia quickly responded. Mario Pasalić, 31, fired a rocket of a shot in the 82nd that forced a great save from Asare. On the ensuing corner kick, 40-year-old Modrić, in his 201st cap, sent a perfect ball onto the head of Nikola Vlasic, who beat Asare. In doing so, Modrić became the oldest player on record to ever record an assist at the World Cup. Modrić continued to play extremely well. On the defensive side, Modric was at his best where he broke up a series of plays and covered a ton of ground. There were many questions about whether Modrić would have the engine to run the team’s midfield in this tournament, but this was a great performance from him. Modrić was not alone, however, as long-time veterans Ivan Perišić and Mateo Kovacić were very important late in the game when Croatia needed to find another level. It was not a pretty win, but it was a win that required experience and a lot of hard work defensively. Croatia was up for the challenge. 4. Both Teams Will Face Stern Tests In Round of 32 Ghana knew before the opening whistle that it had qualified for the knockout stages. Croatia knew it needed a result. When England moved ahead of Panama in the second half, these teams knew it was a race for second place in the group. For Croatia, it will next play the runner-up of Group K and that will very likely be either Colombia or Portugal. For Croatia, this will again where it will need to rely heavily on Modrić. Even at 40, he will be a huge asset to the team in difficult knockout games. For Ghana, it will next play the winner of Group K. Ghana will be the heavy underdog in that game and will have to raise its level above what it showed against England in a scoreless draw.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

England came to New Jersey needing only a point to win Group L. It made five changes, and spent an hour playing like a team that had already mentally checked into its knockout-stage hotel. Panama sat deep in a low block with everyone behind the ball. England passed it sideways. For 62 minutes, the scoreboard sat frozen at 0-0, and the performance barely registered a pulse. Then Jude Bellingham decided he’d seen enough. Two goals in five minutes, a clean sheet, top spot locked. Job done. Style points politely declined. Here are my takeaways from England’s 2-0 win over Panama: 1. England Win Group L. Now the Bracket Bares Its Teeth. England finished first in Group L with seven points: a 4-2 win over Croatia, a flat 0-0 with Ghana and this 2-0 win over Panama. Croatia grabbed second. Ghana slipped to third, locked firmly into place as a third-place qualifier. The reward for topping the group is a Round of 32 match in Atlanta on July 1 against a third-placed team out of Group E, H, I, J or K. Winning that match makes the road ahead progressively more challenging: co-hosts Mexico potentially waiting in the Round of 16, Brazil in the quarters, Argentina in the semis. England was expected to win the group. Now it’s time to fix the issues fans saw in their last two group stage performances. 2. The Low Block Is Still England’s Kryptonite We’ve seen this one before. Against Ghana, England huffed and puffed and drew a blank against a packed defense. Against Panama’s 5-4-1, it was the same script for an hour: 68% of the ball, endless sideways passing, nobody making the run that actually scares a back five. The first half was flat and low on energy — the kind of half that makes it hard to convince new fans of the sport to tune in for a second. Here’s the truth: England has far too much quality to look this lifeless. The talent eventually decided the game, as it always threatens to. But England’s future opponents will know very well how to neutralize Thomas Tuchel’s system. The German manager has a recurring problem to solve. When teams sit deep, England slows down instead of speeding up. Quality rescued them today. It may not be the case next week. 3. Tuchel Rotated Hard. Bellingham and Kane Made It Work. Five changes from the starting XI vs. Ghana. On came Jarell Quansah for his tournament debut, playing out of position at fullback, along with Morgan Rogers, Nico O’Reilly, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford. Out went Reece James (hamstring), Anthony Gordon, Djed Spence, Noni Madueke and — gasp— Declan Rice, England’s most creative player through two games. With the top spot nearly secure, Tuchel managed legs and yellow cards. Fair enough. The standouts were the obvious ones. Bellingham scored and assisted, becoming the youngest England player on record to do both in a World Cup match. Harry Kane headed home his 11th career World Cup goal to pass Gary Lineker as England’s all-time leading scorer at the tournament. Saka’s corner made the first. Rashford’s long ball sprung the second. Going forward, expect Rice straight back in and the first-choice XI restored. Today was rotation. The knockouts won’t be. 4. So Long, Panama. You Made Them Earn It. Panama goes home with zero points, three losses, and last place in the group. On paper, brutal. In practice, they did the job they came to do, and they did it for an hour longer than anyone expected. England got a taste of a scrappy, no-nonsense CONCACAF foe. Stacked against a side worth a king’s ransom, Orlando Mosquera and his teammates sat deep, stayed compact, and turned a glamour fixture into a slog. The 5-4-1 held until the 62nd minute. Against this much talent, that’s a genuine achievement. This was only the second meeting between these nations; the first was England’s 6-1 romp back in 2018. Tonight, Panama lost by two and made England fight for every blade of grass. No point on the board, no fairytale, but no humiliation either. They came to inconvenience a giant, and for 62 minutes, they did exactly that. Buen viaje, Panama.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

There are a record-breaking 10 African countries participating at this World Cup, and nine of those 10 clinched a spot in the knockout stage. A remarkable achievement for a continent that had only five teams at the 2022 World Cup. African Countries That Have Qualified For The Round Of 32: MoroccoEgyptSouth AfricaIvory CoastCape Verde SenegalGhanaDR CongoAlgeria African Countries That Did Not Advance To The Round Of 32: Tunisia Prior to the start of the 2026 World Cup, only six African countries had ever qualified for the knockout stage in World Cup history, with 11 total African teams reaching that point. Morocco: 1986, 2022 (semifinals)Nigeria: 1994, 1998, 2014Senegal: 2002 (quarterfinals), 2022Cameroon: 1990 (quarterfinals)Ghana: 2006, 2010 (quarterfinals)Algeria: 2014 That makes this campaign even more incredible. More African countries could qualify for the knockout stage of this tournament than had ever done so across the entire history of the World Cup. It shows the growth and development of African football and how African players are increasingly able to compete at the highest level against the best teams in the world. In this campaign, African teams have taken points off Brazil, England, Portugal, Spain, Uruguay and Belgium — all squads with history and pedigree that have struggled to cope with the quality of African teams. It also shows the trajectory of where Africa can go in the future. South Africa hosted the event in 2010. Morocco will join European neighbors Spain and Portugal in 2030 in co-hosting duties, and the investment and development within African football federations is continuing to grow. We have seen African teams make runs to the quarterfinals. We saw the deepest African run ever at the last World Cup, with Morocco reaching the semifinals. So, how long will it be until we see an African team lift the World Cup trophy? FOX Sports analyst Peter Crouch believes that moment may be coming sooner than many think, saying, “It’s a matter of time before an African team wins a World Cup.” And his observation has real validity when you look at the progression of African football. African teams are going further in the World Cup, competing with the best teams in the world, and now breaking records for knockout-stage qualification. That time might be coming sooner rather than later.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports