00:00Cristiano Ronaldo heard the criticism.
00:03Then he answered the only way he knows how.
00:05With goals.
00:07Two of them.
00:12Portugal crushed Uzbekistan 5-0 and the old lion was roaring again.
00:18At 41, Ronaldo became the first player to score in six World Cups.
00:23Days earlier, people were debating his decline.
00:26Now, they're discussing history.
00:29Football changes its mind very quickly.
00:32While Ronaldo was making headlines, England were running into a wall.
00:36A very organised Ghanaian wall.
00:40Against Croatia, England looked like a sports car.
00:43Against Ghana, they looked stuck in traffic.
00:46Plenty of movement, no way through.
00:49Ghana coach Carlos Kuros arrived with a blueprint and his players followed it to the tee.
00:55England had the ball, but rarely looked dangerous.
00:59Harry Kane was crowded out.
01:01Jude Bellingham struggled to influence the game.
01:03Bukayo Saka came on and at least asked a few questions, yet a nil-nil draw.
01:09England remained top of the group and qualification is still in their hands.
01:14But their excitement generated against Croatia has cooled considerably.
01:19Elsewhere, Luka Modric marked his 200th Croatia appearance in typical fashion.
01:25No fuss, just a win.
01:28Ante Budimir's second-half goal beat Panama 1-0 and kept Croatia firmly on course for the knockout rounds.
01:36Then there is Colombia.
01:38Two matches, two wins.
01:40No drama.
01:41They're through and looking increasingly comfortable.
01:44So this was the day for football's old masters.
01:47Ronaldo at 41, Modric at 40, Kuros at 73.
01:52A reminder that class, experience and patience never really go out of fashion.
01:57Bob Holmes, Frankie D. Cruz, and Amadeep Gill, FMT.
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