MEXICO CITY, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score at six World Cups while Colombia secured a place in the tournament's knockout stage on Tuesday.
In Houston, Ronaldo scored two first-half goals as Portugal trounced Uzbekistan 5-0. Nuno Mendes and Rafael Leao were also on target while Abduvohid Nematov netted an own goal in the Group K match.
Ronaldo, whose World Cup goal tally now stands at 10, said he had been unfazed by criticism that followed an opening draw with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
"It's always like that," Ronaldo said. "It doesn't matter, because it's been 23 years on the job and when things go well, 'Cristiano is good,' when things go bad, 'Cristiano is a retired player, he is old'."
In Toronto, substitute Ante Budimir scored in the second half as Croatia stayed alive with a 1-0 win over Panama.
Budimir, who replaced Petar Musa at halftime, broke the deadlock by tapping in at the far post following a Josip Stanisic run and cross from the right byline.
Panama had several chances to equalize but was frustrated by goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic and some wasteful finishing.
"This was very difficult and I didn't expect that it was going to be such a difficult match, to be honest," Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic said. "We didn't react the best, and perhaps it could be due to the pressure because we really needed these three points."
In Boston, England dominated and had a series of late scoring chances but was held to a goalless draw by Ghana.
Thomas Tuchel's side controlled 72 percent of possession and had five shots on target to Ghana's zero.
"Frustrated a little bit with how they defended, how they set up," England midfielder Jude Bellingham said. "They got exactly out of the game what they played for. Couldn't quite break them down, even with all corners, all the possession, all the shots on goal from distance."
The result left both teams on four points and needing a draw in their final Group L games to guarantee places in the next phase.
In Guadalajara, Daniel Munoz struck his second goal in as many games as Colombia clinched a spot in the round of 32 with a 1-0 win over DR Congo.
Crystal Palace defender Munoz put his side ahead with a low strike in the 76th minute and Colombia survived a tense finish to secure its second straight win in the tournament.
The result left Colombia top of Group K with six points, two ahead of second-placed Portugal. The sides will meet in their final group match in Miami on Saturday.
DR Congo is third with one point and must defeat Uzbekistan in Atlanta on Saturday to have any chance of progressing. ■
