Matchday seven of the 2026 FIFA World Cup promised more of the same, as the current edition of the tournament continues to draw eyes despite the controversies off the pitch.
Portugal faced off against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DR Congo in short. Much like their Iberian neighbors Spain, they went away disappointed, succumbing to a 1-1 draw against a team more than 30 places below them. Then England went and soundly defeated Croatia, solidifying their position as one of the contenders for the trophy.
Ghana vs Panama was a bit of a lowlight, compensated by the drama of an extremely late winner. Then Colombia went on to struggle against Uzbekistan, a team playing their first ever World Cup. If a few shots were a little more accurate, we could have been talking about a different result. Talk about dramatic.
Check out all the goals, highlights, and more from the seventh matchday of the FIFA World Cup!
João Neves’ header was a work of art 🇵🇹
What a start for Portugal pic.twitter.com/WPmfe4rytb
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 17, 2026
A scrumptious delivery by Pedro Neto saw João Neves head the ball in after just six minutes played. Talk about an early breakthrough.
Honestly, you’d expect Cristiano Ronaldo to get on the end of that and not the guy who’s 171cm tall. Brilliant header, though.
DR CONGO HAS ITS FIRST-EVER FIFA WORLD CUP GOAL! 🇨🇩 pic.twitter.com/FSopuazQ08
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 17, 2026
Portugal controlled the entire half only to give up a set piece right near the end. “Surely not,” everyone thought. Then Arthur Masuaku sent in a perfectly curled delivery, homing like a sidewinder onto the head of Yoane Wissa. Goalkeeper Diogo Costa did not stand a chance.
What a way to score your country’s first World Cup goal! It ends up being the decisive moment of the game, as Portugal were unable to break down the DRC and score another.
1-1 at full time. On to the next one.
Livakovic saves Harry Kane’s penalty pic.twitter.com/MlNf6Y5QmU
— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) June 17, 2026
Luka Modrić took out Noni Madueke inside the box and the referee whistled for a penalty kick. Harry Kane stepped up and you would expect it to be 1-0 shortly. Then the unthinkable happened.
Harry ran up, and … Dominik Livaković dove to his left and SAVED THE PENALTY!
THIS TIME IT’S GOOD ON THE RETAKE!
HARRY KANE CONVERTS THE PENALTY FOR ENGLAND’S FIRST GOAL OF THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP 🏴 pic.twitter.com/VeAJeDOHgs
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 17, 2026
Turns out the goalkeeper was off his line. VAR allowed the penalty to be retaken. Harry Kane stepped up once again, and there was no saving it this time.
“This is a goal of the highest quality.” – @stuholden
Martin Baturina provides the first half heroics for Croatia 🇭🇷 pic.twitter.com/hNmI03IvBG
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 17, 2026
Martin Baturina took a thunderous shot after Petar Sučić squared the ball from inside the England box. A flying Jordan Pickford did well to get a hand on it, but there was no stopping the Croatian equalizer.
Note how the attack begins with Luka Vušković. Despite being a center-back he was at the heart of the offense and defense.
HARRY KANE BAGS A BRACE! 🏴
2 goals in an incredible start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the England captain pic.twitter.com/4ThDwnGFJ2
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 17, 2026
Harry Kane is pretty good. Teams should consider marking him.
Here’s what happened. England went into the Croatian half and won a corner. The men in blue were caught napping as a certain Bayern Munich striker slalomed into the box and headed it in, just like he so often does at club level. Everyone watching it thought the same thing: “Too easy.” It wasn’t easy, Kane just makes it look easy.
This goal saw Kane tie Gary Lineker as England’s top scorer at the FIFA World Cup.
CROATIA GOAL! 🇭🇷
It’s tied again courtesy of Petar Musa! pic.twitter.com/JhcY2Ge0ez
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 17, 2026
Veteran attacker Ivan Perišić notched up an assist at Croatia made it 2-2, courtesy of a well taken shot by Petar Musa. The goal, however, belongs to man who made it happen, as without the timed run and header back across, Musa never would have been in a position to score.
Perišić really is still doing it at age 37.
JUDE BELLINGHAM GIVES ENGLAND THE LEAD! 🏴
Dream start to the 2nd half for the Three Lions pic.twitter.com/Qu79xp2Dv1
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 17, 2026
Elliot Anderson dropped deep and sent an inspired pass up the pitch, with Jude Bellingham running into an empty space left by the Croatians out wide. He made a stunning fast break and slotted it past the keeper, putting England up for the third time inside 60 minutes.
FOURTH GOAL OF THE NIGHT FOR ENGLAND!
Marcus Rashford makes it a 4-2 lead 🏴 pic.twitter.com/OhKKBUiGPW
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 17, 2026
Thomas Tuchel subbed on Marcus Rashford for Anthony Gordon in the 72nd minute. Then, as the game finally petered out near the end of normal time, the former Manchester United star got the ball in space. He cut inside on his right foot and shot it past the keeper, putting England 4-2 up and sinking Croatia’s hopes of getting anything from the game.
You gotta stay ready if you’re behind the goal! pic.twitter.com/vcqxS6U78K
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 17, 2026
Goalkeeper shenanigans were the only thing of note in the first half between Ghana and Panama. The African side managed zero xG and zero attempts at goal. Yikes.
It took 95 minutes, but THERE IT IS
Yirenkyi might’ve just won it for Ghana 🇬🇭 pic.twitter.com/2QRFRlwmo4
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 18, 2026
Hard to say how Ghana pulled this one off. Brandon Thomas-Asante rocketed past the opposing defender and squared it into the path of Caleb Yirenkyi, who tapped it in for the goal that secured all three points. Panama had only themselves to blame. They had all the momentum in the first half and did nothing with it.
A stadium full of Panama fans rendered silent. 1-0 to Ghana at full time.
SO close from Luis Díaz 🤯
Colombia nearly scored its first goal of the tournament pic.twitter.com/BexYR0Ojnf
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 18, 2026
Huge opportunity for Colombia as Bayern Munich star Luis Díaz charged into the penalty box and and shot from a tight angle, only just hitting the post. First warning for Uzbekistan.
COLOMBIA HAS ITS FIRST GOAL OF THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP! 🇨🇴
Luis Díaz with a great ball in to Daniel Muñoz! pic.twitter.com/Fiq1YdrCpa
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 18, 2026
A beautiful ball over the top of the Uzbek defense by Luis Díaz saw Daniel Muñoz make it 1-0 minutes before halftime. Uzbekistan, meanwhile, did not even have an attempt on target up to that point. Zero touches inside their opponent’s box in 45 minutes.
One-sided? Maybe. Colombia looked excellent.
What a moment for Abbosbek Fayzullaev as he scores Uzbekistan’s first ever FIFA World Cup goal 🇺🇿 pic.twitter.com/NHKiD3TytM
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 18, 2026
What happens when the keeper saves the shot, but it bounces straight up? You get a goal like that. Uzbekistan scores their first ever goal in a World Cup courtesy of Abbosbek Fayzullaev. Simply a stunning turn of events. To put it into perspective, their last three touches (including the goal) were their first three touches inside the box.
LUCHOOOOOOO 🇨🇴
Luis Díaz scores his first-ever FIFA World Cup goal pic.twitter.com/P1BGrO0CfO
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 18, 2026
He’s done it over and over for Bayern Munich. Now he’s doing it at the World Cup. After assisting the opener, Luis Díaz scored to make it 2-1, just minutes after Uzbekistan found their equalizer.
Now that’s how you end a night of FIFA World Cup action 🔥
Colombia with a beauty to seal it pic.twitter.com/HBeFVWA6QW
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 18, 2026
You’d expect a ball like that to be a lost cause. Cucho Hernández doesn’t think that way. Somehow he chased it down, fended off his defender, then put a perfect cross into the box. Jaminton Campaz converted with a leaping header, sealing the game for Colombia.
His goal ended up being the final one of the matchday, which saw 13 goals scored and extremely late winners. Maybe that was the theme of the day.
Now, with their first games all played, England seem to have a commanding lead and are well-positioned to qualify at the top of Group L. For the rest, it’s more of a mixed bag. Colombia put themselves in a good position with a win, but their performance did not inspire confidence. Things could change a lot in the coming weeks, as this tournament has proven exceptionally volatile. We’ll just have to wait and see.
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