need to know
On Day 7 of the World Cup, England finally get the competition underway in earnest, but FIFA is forced to issue a statement and Cristiano Ronaldo is targeted.
The World Cup is finally in full swing
Everything you need to know about the latest World Cup news on Thursday morning…
Reports from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, indicate that scores of England fans bypassed security barriers and entered the World Cup opener against Croatia without having valid tickets. However, a FIFA spokesperson clarified that the governing body currently has no official indication or evidence that supporters were admitted without valid match tickets. The official attendance for the opening game was 70,389, just below the venue’s official maximum capacity of 70,649. High ticket prices have been a major point of contention, with FIFA previously pledging to make 10 per cent of England’s travel itineraries available for $60 after intense backlash from supporters England’s World Cup got off to a very bright start with a thrilling 4-2 win over Croatia to open Group L. Despite a wobbly first half and the tension of the tournament, England completely blew away their European opponents with a commanding and energetic performance in the second half. England assistant coach Anthony Barry slammed his team’s first-half performance as “mixed and confusing” after Croatia equalized twice before the interval. In response, manager Thomas Tuchel gave an impassioned speech in the locker room at half-time, imploring his team to step up their game and play bravely in their own way. Jude Bellingham rewarded his manager’s faith by scoring the decisive third goal just minutes after half-time after starting ahead of Aston Villa’s Morgan Rodgers. After the match, Bellingham admitted he was playing with a “scar on his shoulder”, pointing out that the goal was the perfect way to quiet the outside noise and remind people of his quality. Former striker Ian Wright has praised the immediate influence Thomas Tuchel had on building strong relationships within the England team’s camp. Wright, who spent time at the warm-up base, said the team looked uniquely unified, upbeat and responsive to Tuchel’s club-style management approach. Meanwhile, the Mexican military deployed signal-blocking radio waves to neutralize and shoot down an unregistered drone flying near South Korea’s closed training base in Guadalajara, raising suspicions of “espionage.” Local security officials rushed to the crash site, but two foreign men believed to be operating the drone recovered the equipment and fled before authorities arrived. South Korean coach Hong Myung-bo said the appearance of drones was very disappointing, but assured fans that it would not significantly disrupt tactical preparations for the World Cup. The high-stakes intervention is part of Mexico’s powerful Plan Kukulkan, a massive 100,000-person security plan aimed at keeping stadiums, base camps and fan festivals safe. Turkish state broadcaster TRT has removed senior commentator Murat Ekrem Simen from World Cup duties after he repeatedly disrupted opposing teams during live matches. Despite having more than 30 years’ experience in the industry, Simen disrupted the side for around four minutes in the Group G match between Iran and New Zealand. Viewers heavily criticized the broadcaster on social media, leading TRT to issue an official apology and label the veteran journalist’s mistake as completely unacceptable. Some of his colleagues at the TV station defended Simen from the online abuse, but the backlash caused serious technical problems with Simen’s personal Instagram page, forcing him to deactivate his X account. Back in action on the pitch, Cristiano Ronaldo endured a very frustrating night as Portugal were held to a shocking and tough 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday. As Ronaldo left the pitch alone, fans inside the stadium taunted the veteran forward by loudly chanting the name of long-time rival Lionel Messi. In another World Cup match on Wednesday and Thursday morning, Ghana sealed the first set of Group L matches with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Panama. Ghana substitute Caleb Ilenki was the ultimate hero for Toronto as he scored the three points with a thorough counter-attack in the 95th minute, while Colombia cruised to a 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan.
Follow all the latest updates from the World Cup: World Cup Live: BBC breaks golden rule as furious Cristiano Ronaldo lashes out
