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Ronaldo and Portugal survive heart-stopping drama, VAR ends Mordics World Cup
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In his most euphoric moment, Cristiano Ronaldo did not forget his two old friends, Luka Modric and Diogo Jota. Ater the 20 minutes of a stoppage time, filled with nerve-shredding drama, every possible shade of emotion exhausted, with Portugal beating Croatia 2-1 to the round of 16, Ronaldo wrapped Modric in a deep embrace. He whispered something in his ears, he held his face like a brother would and wiped a drop of tear off Modric. In that poignant moment of brotherhood, the relevance of the result blurred.Had the whims of destiny differed the scenes would have been different too. Ronaldo could have left the stage with his dream unfulfilled; it was the turn of his former Real Madrid companion to bow away, his wish unrequited. Modric would be remembered as one of the greatest and toughest that has played the game; yet his last game ended in a heartbreak in the most heartbreaking way. AS IT HAPPENED: Portugal vs Croatia FIFA World Cup 2026 Highlights In the 13th minute of an unusually long stoppage time, Modric thought his team had found the equaliser, that he would live a little longer in the tournament. Josko Gvardiol seemed to have directed the ball into the goal (or did the final touch come from Ruben Dias?) But in the build-up to the goal, Igor Matanovic, the VAR adjudged, has feathered the ball according to football’s version of a snicko. At that precise moment, Mario Pasalic, whose miscued shot Gvardiol slid in, was off-side. Numerous replays were played, managers and support staff were frantically running pacing down the touchline; players and substitutes were predicting and debating the outcome. Escalating the suspense, the PA system in the stadium failed. The referee had to wait a few more minutes to announce the decision. And when it came, one side burst in limitless joy, and the other stumbled, the dream shattered. Portugal team with Diogo Jota’s jersey as a tribute after win vs Croatia. (AP)The end of the game was always going to be cruel. Curtains shall fall on one of the two great careers. For so long it seemed like the dream was over Ronaldo. After a first half that buzzed with a scrappy energy, fast transitions, speedy counterattacks, manic defending, bone-crushing lungs and horrendous finishing, Ivan Persic, 37 years old and a Croatian legend himself, seized the lead for his side. Ronaldo wore the face of a man that knew there would be no tomorrow. For Portugal and Ronaldo, the recovery was not instant, even though they resisted a second goal. Then in a split second of pure instinct and the shine that refuses to leave its master, Ronaldo warped time and travelled back a decade to score the equaliser. Or what it then seemed to be, before VAR intervened and spotted that Ronaldo was marginally off-side. The first touch with the outside of the ball to control the cross and the flick of the ankle to ferry the ball goal-wards was peak Ronaldo-esque. He bounced to the touchline and struck a restrained version of SIU. But he turned around and saw no one. He gazed at the referee, and he knew his fate. It perhaps was not his day. It never would be.Story continues below this ad Former Real Madrid teammates Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo. (AP)Yet, it was. The clock struck 67 minutes and the wheels of destiny smiled on him. Portugal were awarded a penalty. Ronaldo instinctively placed the ball on the spot. There was no question who would take it. What followed was heightened theatre. The moment froze to the ball and the man. The round ball at the dead centre of the box, a static sphere of rubber. The man stood still, legs wide, eyes fixed on the ball’s perimeter, the mind processing the ball’s destination, and his own destiny. Beads of sweat trickled down his temple. He took a deep, long, breath. Again. Then again. Cristiano Ronaldo has taken 211 penalties; he has converted 178. Yet, he was nervous. Frighteningly nervous. But this one was different. This one could be his last; his dream and nightmare, his obituary and
Updated: Jun 26, 2026 01:28 PM IST Chouhan twice put his formidable attacking game to lethal use to swamp World No 6 Chou Tien Chen with 6 straight points, and won 21-17, 26-24 at the US Open Super 300 in Fullerton, California. (BAI Photo) Rounak Chouhan started playing badminton at 8, watching his sister and inspired by his mother who played the sport in college. But there was one other thing common in her advice to what he followed in his favourite footballer – Cristiano Ronaldo. “She always says give 100 % even on a bad day. With Ronaldo it’s his hardwork that’s inspiring. I used to watch him and jump every time from the back court. It became muscle memory,” Chouhan would tell The Indian Express after the last Junior World’s. On Thursday, Chouhan twice put his formidable attacking game to lethal use to swamp World No 6 Chou Tien Chen with 6 straight points, and won 21-17, 26-24 at the US Open Super 300 in Fullerton, California.Chouhan was on the offensive from the outset against the top seed Taiwanese. But the young Indian from Raipur, Chhattisgarh, showed remarkable guts to take the fight to the 35-year-old known for his impeccable shuttle control. Chouhan literally fought for every point after Tien Chen went 17-15 up in the opener. It was an attack unlike any seen from an Indian MS player at 18, and a sign of things to come. Having taken the first set with a flurry of 6 points, Chouhan found himself staring at a 11-17 deficit. He again amped it up to level at 17 with 6 points, and then showed stunning fight to beat back 4 set points, and converting his second match point against an opponent built on never-say-die DNA. The world juniors had been a tough and toughening experience for Chouhan, who trains at NCE, Guwahati. Even as India picked a team bronze, it had hit Chouhan that in international badminton, he needed to shut out noise, focus on breathing and calm himself down. “Focus on strokes, breathe properly,” he would say. When he followed his sister to the Police Grounds courts at Raipur, it was former coach, now BAI secretary Sanjay Mishra who would guide him. Moving to ITM University’s 8 courts at Uparwara broadened his horizons, and helped him choose badminton over cricket which he played too. It helped that his mother had been an athlete. His father is a businessman. Lin Dan was his badminton idol, but Cristiano Ronaldo truly proved a totem, as Chouhan dug the Portuguese legend’s work ethic. The way he jumped in the box connecting to headers, how he celebrated imprinted on Chouhan’s brain. Execution was a different matter.Story continues below this ad “Frim when young I learnt to jump frim back court. But the muscle memory needed explosive sessions,” he said. He would start working with S&C trainers at Reliance Foundation just to biomechanically sort out his jump and balance and stability after landing. His back court game is impressive for his age, though work is ongoing on back court variations. “The half smash, drop I need to use more. I need to learn the art of being aggressive and calm at the same time,” he said, looking for badminton’s golden balance. “I get too aggressive at times.” His win over Chou Tien Chen addressed a complex goal he had set himself: “After a long high paced rally, the breathing rate is high. How to handle next 10-15 seconds, that’s the goal.” For that, he idolized Lakshya Sen. “He’s calm when playing aggressive.” He would also want consistency at the net. How does he rate his own defense? “8 on 10,” says the World No 80. Chouhan next plays Israeli Misha Zilberman.Story continues below this ad India’s eternal favourite Kidambi Srikanth also advanced, defeating Malaysian Olympic bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia 21-14, 21-13. Tanvi Sharma, Devika Sihag and Rakshitha Sree also advanced in women’s singles. © The Indian Express Pvt Ltd Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian
Updated: Jun 26, 2026 06:59 AM IST FIFA World Cup 2026: Third-placed Ecuador trumped Germany 2-1 to seal a knockout spot from Group E. (AP Photo)FIFA World Cup 2026 Third-Placed standings: The race for the knockout spots is intensifying at the ongoing FIFA World Cup, with only 12 of the 32 spots confirmed, with only two days of action remaining in the group stages. While group toppers and the second-placed teams are slotted for automatic qualification, the expanded 48-team tournament has also handed a lifeline for third-placed teams in their respective groups this time, eight of whom will also proceed to the Round of 32 stages, starting Monday. Ecuador made a stunning comeback from the brink on Thursday night to thump group toppers Germany in a 2-1 win, sealing a slot among the best third-placed teams on the back of the three points they obtained late in Group E. From Group B, Bosnia-Herzegovina have also booked a place with just four points, so have Sweden from Group F with a 1-1 draw against Japan in their last group match. How are the third-placed teams ranked for Round of 32 qualification? The eight best third-placed teams for World Cup 2026 Round of 32 qualification are decided by:Story continues below this ad Points obtained in all group matches Goal difference from all group matches Goals scored in all group matches Fair Play – relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained in all group matches FIFA ranking will come into play as final tie-breaker FIFA World Cup 2026: Third-placed standings Rank Team P W D L GF/GA GD Pts 1 Sweden 3 1 1 1 7/7 0 4 2 Ecuador 3 1 1 1 2/2 0 4 3 Bosnia-Herzegovina 3 1 1 1 5/6 -1 4 4 Croatia 2 1 0 1 3/4 -1 3 5 South Korea 3 1 0 2 2/3 -1 3 6 Algeria 2 1 0 1 2/4 -2 3 7 Paraguay 2 1 0 1 2/4 -2 3 8 Scotland 3 1 0 2 1/4 -3 3 9 Cape Verde 2 0 2 0 2/2 0 2 10 Belgium 2 0 2 0 1/1 0 2 11 Congo DR 2 0 1 1 1/2 -1 1 12 Senegal (E) 2 0 0 2 3/6 -3 0 (Standings as of June 26, 2026) With two defeats from as many matches, Senegal are the only third-placed team that have been knocked out already. How can Belgium, Croatia qualify? 2018 runners-up Croatia and third-placed finishers Belgium are sweating to make the knockouts and all hopes hinge on how they fare in their final group games. A defeat to Ghana in Group L may make life difficult for Croatia to qualify, even though they hold fourth spot among the third-placed teams today. With just two points from as many games, Belgium will require nothing less than an outright win over New Zealand to seal their spot in the knockouts.
Portugal predicted line-up, FIFA World Cup 2026: Cristiano Ronaldo's role will be in focus against Uzbekistan today. (AP Photo)Portugal starting line-up, FIFA World Cup 2026:Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal will aim to get their campaign back on track when they take on Uzbekistan in their second Group K clash in Houston on Tuesday. Criticism had emerged from all corners after Portugal failed to see off DR Congo in their opening round last week, ending with a 1-1 draw where Ronaldo looked far from his best. Pundits and former footballers have called for Portugal coach Roberto Martinez to bench the 41-year-old Ronaldo ahead of the second match, owing to his indifferent start.With his goal drought in major tournaments extending to 10 matches and his last goal from open play for Portugal dating back to October 2025, the pressure is immense on both Ronaldo and Martinez to find a suitable combination. Ronaldo mustered only three shots during the opener, prompting questions over a role starting from the bench. Portugal coach refuses to answer While coach Martinez backed the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s immense work ethic and recovery from setbacks, he remained tight-lipped about Ronaldo starting the Uzbekistan game. Portugal team news for Uzbekistan World Cup 2026 match In a positive news on the defensive front, Portugal’s back line will be strengthened with the return of Ruben Dias who has recovered from his recent injury. That would mean the Manchester City centre-back will replace Tomas Araujo from the previous outing. In reinforcements up front, Martinez is primed to replace Pedro Neto on the right wing, roping in Francesco Conceicao for more aggressve mid-field support. Despite the backlash, Martinez is expected to standby Ronaldo out front. Portugal predicted starting 11 and formation (4-2-3-1): Costa (Goalkeeper); Cancelo, Dias, Veiga, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha; Silva, Fernandes, Conceicao; Ronaldo.Story continues below this ad Uzbekistan team news Uzbekistan predicted lineup and formation (3-4-2-1): Yusupov (Goalkeeper); Khusanov, Abdullaev, Ashurmatov; Karimov, Mozgovoy, Shukurov, Nasrulloev; Fayzullaev, Urunov; Shomurodov. Portugal vs Uzbekistan: Form guide Portugal: D-W-W-W-D Uzbekistan: L-L-L-W-W
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