+ Group K: Portugal–Uzbekistan, Tuesday, 7:00 PM
Houston Stadium, Houston, Texas
SVT2/P4 Radio Sport
+ Family dispute over Ronaldo
Clumsy, embarrassing and sad, there was no shortage of strong expressions when journalists, pundits and experts assessed Cristiano Ronaldo's performance in the opening match against Congo-Kinshasa. Portugal's manager Roberto Martinez has received at least as much criticism for not replacing the team captain. Others joined the debate. Ronaldo's sister Katia Aveiro criticized her brother's teammates on Instagram, "Somehow magically they forgot how to pass the ball around, win it back and start counterattacks," she wrote, among other things. But there were more relatives who wanted to give their opinion on the matter. Madalena Aragao, girlfriend of Portugal midfielder João Neves, attacked a user who thought her boyfriend should pass the ball to the "GOAT" more often. Aragao replied sourly, "Tell your 'GOAT' to hang up his boots. He is very selfish."
+ Group L: England–Ghana, Tuesday, 10:00 PM
Boston Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
SVT1/P4 Radio Sport
+ FA bans questions about rape allegations
Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey was denied a visa to Canada as he faces multiple rape charges and missed the team's opening match against Panama. However, he has been granted a visa to the United States and is expected to be fit for the match against England, according to media reports. The alleged crimes reportedly took place during Partey's time at Arsenal, where he was teammates with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka. English media wanted to ask the England squad questions about the allegations, but are now being prevented from doing so. According to a spokesperson for the English Football Association (FA), the FA is citing "legal reasons", and it has also let the players decide for themselves whether or not they want to shake hands with Partey before the match.
+ Group L: Panama–Croatia, Wednesday, 1:00 AM
Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Ontario
TV4 Play
+ Modric becomes a member of an exclusive club
Luka Modric is tipped to start in the Croatian midfield in the must-win match against Panama. If he does, or comes on from the bench, he will make his 200th appearance for Croatia. With that, he will join the exclusive 200 club, becoming the fourth member along with Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Lionel Messi (Argentina) and Bader Al-Mutawa (Kuwait).
Group K: Colombia–Congo-Kinshasa, Wednesday, 4:00 AM
Estadio Guadalajara, Zapopan, Mexico
TV4
+ Can Congo-Kinshasa ride the wave of shock?
So far, fears of a mockery of the new expanded World Cup format have not been borne out. Cape Verde are undefeated, Curaçao are still in the race to advance, and Congo-Kinshasa picked up their first ever World Cup point when they shocked Portugal in the first round. Now the Congolese are hoping to make another piece of football history and claim their nation's first ever World Cup victory against Colombia.
