England Stumble, Croatia and Colombia Edge Tight World Cup Matches

England were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw with Ghana in Group 12, despite arriving as clear favorites after their impressive 4-2 opening win over Croatia. Thomas Tuchel’s attack struggled to create real chances, while Ghana defended well and nearly stole a goal on the break. Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, who had starred in the opener, again failed to score, and substitutes Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Morgan Rogers also could not settle the game.

England produced 19 shots, but only three were on target. The biggest miss came in the 89th minute, when Kane fired over from about four meters after a strong attack, a highly uncharacteristic miss that summed up England’s frustration. Even so, England remain top of the group.

Croatia beat Panama 1-0 in Group 12 in a match between two teams that had lost their first games, making defeat effectively fatal. Zlatko Dalic changed three starters from the loss to England, but Croatia still looked flat and Panama were at times the more dangerous side, finishing with more shots on goal, 8 to 6. The decisive moment came in the 54th minute, when Josip Stanisic set up Ante Budimir for an empty-net finish.

In Group 11, Colombia defeated the Democratic Republic of Congo 1-0 after a dominant first half but wasteful finishing. Congo stayed aggressive and threatened at times, and goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi made seven big saves, yet Colombia finally broke through in the 76th minute when right-back Daniel Munoz scored with a weak shot. Luis Diaz had two goals disallowed, and Colombia could have won by as many as five. The result sends Colombia top of the group and sets up a final-round clash with Portugal for first place. After the match, Croatia also celebrated Luka Modric’s 200th appearance for the national team, a milestone that includes 28 goals, 31 assists, and five World Cups, including the 2018 runner-up finish and third place in 2022.