Scoring a brace against Uzbekistan on Tuesday, Cristiano Ronaldo made history by becoming the first player to score in six different editions of the FIFA World Cup. The 41-year-old will hope to secure Portugal a knockout stage berth, with the squad facing Colombia for their final group stage match on Saturday.

England suffered a World Cup setback on Tuesday as Thomas Tuchel’s side were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Ghana, leaving them with work still do as they bid to progress to the knockout stage as Group L winners. Nico O’Reilly came closest to scoring with a late header for England that hit the bar, but after the promise of their opening 4-2 win over Croatia, this was a performance that will raise doubts as to their chances of going all the way and winning the tournament. They dominated possession and had 19 shots to their opponents’ two, yet rarely looked like scoring past Ghana’s stand-in goalkeeper Benjamin Asare in a match watched by 63,983 fans at the Gillette Stadium near Boston.

Both teams have four points with one game still to play in Group L, with progression to the next round all but assured but their final positions still in the balance. 

In damp, cool conditions, England delivered a stodgy performance that echoed some of their faltering displays during Euro 2024.

However, there are no dramatic consequences, as England take a step closer to the last 32. All they need do now is safely negotiate their final group fixture against Panama at the MetLife Stadium on Saturday, and they will be able to turn their attentions to the knockout rounds.

England have still never lost to African opposition at the World Cup, and that record was rarely at risk of ending here.

Ghana nevertheless battled brilliantly, as the nation ranked 73rd in the world — 69 places behind England — put up a determined defensive display.

The late decision by the Black Stars to appoint Carlos Queiroz as coach is looking increasingly justified, with this result following their opening 1-0 win over Panama. The 2010 quarter-finalists face Croatia next in Philadelphia.

Thomas Partey returned for Ghana after missing the Panama match in Toronto because Canadian authorities denied him a visa — the ex-Arsenal midfielder is facing trial on rape charges in the UK.

Asare of local side Hearts of Oak started in goal for the Ghanaians after coming on for the injured Lawrence Ati Zigi against Panama.

England’s inability to regularly test him will be a source of concern, as Harry Kane was kept quiet and failed to add to his 10 World Cup goals — he remains level with Gary Lineker for now as their all-time top scorer at the tournament.

Noni Madueke and Anthony Gordon were unable to make the difference on the wings and their substitutes could not this time have a decisive impact.

Jude Bellingham won his 50th cap as Marc Guehi and Djed Spence replaced John Stones and O’Reilly in the defence.

A Declan Rice free-kick that sailed just over was about as close as England came in the opening half. In fact it took almost an hour for Asare to make a notable save, but it was a comfortable one to deny Gordon.

Ghana may feel Jordan Pickford should have been punished for charging out of his box and crashing into Prince Adu without touching the ball — but instead the goalkeeper was given a free-kick.

There was also panic for England when substitute Adu ran through into the area but could not get a shot away.

Then the pressure was turned up a notch in the closing minutes, as Asare denied Bukayo Saka with a good stop low to his left before O’Reilly headed off the woodwork from close range and Kane blazed over.

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Some of the world just can’t seem to stomach that the Minnesota Vikings would have two QB1 options in 2026, evidenced again last week by a trade theory from Fansided that claimed third-year passer J.J. McCarthy should be shipped to the Arizona Cardinals.

Minnesota signed Kyler Murray in March, and he’s on tap to duel McCarthy in August for the Vikings’ top job. According to Wynston Wilcox, the Vikings would be best served to trade McCarthy to Arizona.

Why the Cardinals Trade Theory Falls Short

Fansided: Vikings Should Trade McCarthy to Cardinals

Wilcox claimed Saturday that Minnesota should swap McCarthy for a 5th- and 7th-Round pick with the Cardinals and lean fully into the Murray experiment.

He argued, “The writing is on the wall; Kyler Murray is the new quarterback in town, and the Minnesota Vikings even brought Carson Wentz back too. That should tell J.J. McCarthy everything he needs to know about his job security in Minnesota.”

“The only good thing about McCarthy staying in Minnesota for now is that both Murray and Wentz are injury-prone; outside of that, he’s as good as traded already. I feel like only the New York Jets would be foolish enough to take a crazy gamble on a quarterback like McCarthy, but the Cardinals also make sense for a couple of reasons.”

McCarthy ended 2025 on a high note, ranking as the NFL’s sixth-best passer per EPA+CPOE from Week 14 to Week 18.

Wilcox continued, “For one, if Jacoby Brissett doesn’t get his contract situation resolved, Arizona could use this as an opportunity to find another young passer to try and develop. The Cardinals have a lot of holes to patch on this team, and wasting a high pick on a quarterback is a risk that isn’t necessarily worth it in my opinion. That’s why they ultimately get away with a fifth-round and seventh-round pick here.”

“Because of Murray and Wentz’s injury history, I could see the Vikings waiting to trade McCarthy. That said, if he survives Week 1, his value could skyrocket if a team desperately needs a quarterback good enough to start in the interim.”

McCarthy’s Would-Be Outlook in Arizona

Let’s just be clear here: McCarthy would take over Murray’s old team, along with its weapons and defense. First-time head coach Mike LaFleur is running the show, and on offense, McCarthy would experience these playmakers:

• Jeremiyah Love
• Trey McBride
• Marvin Harrison Jr.
• Michael Wilson
• Kendrick Bourne
• Tyler Allgeier
• James Conner
• Trey Benson

On defense, well, that’s a different story. The Cardinals have ranked as follows on defense per EPA/Ranking over the last five years:

If the Fansided theory came true, McCarthy would enjoy pretty decent offensive weapons, a probably poor or average defense, and an offensive line that ranked 26th leaguewide per PFF last year. Not ideal.

The Murray Former Employer Irony

There’s some obvious irony here — the Vikings just acquired Murray, who quarterbacked the Cardinals for seven seasons. For now, McCarthy and Murray are on tap to battle for Minnesota’s QB1 job at training camp, even if Murray is the heavy favorite to prevail.

Minnesota signed Murray in March for $1.3 million — that cheap because Arizona paid him to get the hell out of town. After a few hours of suspense, Murray quickly signed with the Vikings, his childhood favorite team, and later explained that playing for head coach Kevin O’Connell, a known quarterback whisperer, was a no-brainer.

If Wilcox gets his way, Murray and McCarthy will swap jobs without an official one-for-one swap.

Of course, McCarthy would have to fight Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, and Carson Beck for the QB1 job.

Vikings Should Just Keep McCarthy

The Vikings have finally created options for themselves, a stark contrast to their predicament in 2025. Back then, Minnesota made McCarthy their singular plan: the primary strategy and even the emergency exit early in the 2025 offseason. They bypassed opportunities to retain Sam Darnold after a 14-3 season, bring back Daniel Jones, or even explore Aaron Rodgers.

Instead of gradually integrating McCarthy, they immediately handed him the starting role and accepted the consequences. While McCarthy showed flashes of potential, he didn’t fully blossom, and the Vikings consequently missed the playoffs. By February, the team recognized the need for another solution at quarterback.

That solution arrived in the form of Murray. Murray’s presence doesn’t guarantee flawless quarterback play — no player does. However, his arrival fundamentally alters the team’s dynamic. The Vikings are no longer forced to invest all their hopes in a single young quarterback to succeed instantly.

They possess two legitimate paths forward.

This is precisely why trading McCarthy would be illogical. He remains young and affordable enough to retain while the quarterback situation evolves. Considering that quarterback injuries have derailed two of the last three Vikings seasons, discarding a viable quarterback option at this stage would introduce unnecessary risk. Wilcox’s 5th and 7th-Rounder is plainly not worth it. Those are throwaway draft picks.

Minnesota spent a year experiencing the repercussions of a too-narrow quarterback strategy. Now, they finally have breathing room. Don’t squander it on a strange trade with the Cardinals. McCarthy’s full story isn’t written yet, and the Vikings can control his contract for three more seasons.

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England suffered a World Cup setback on Tuesday as Thomas Tuchel’s side were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Ghana, leaving them with work still do as they bid to progress to the knockout stage as Group L winners. Nico O’Reilly came closest to scoring with a late header for England that hit the bar, but after the promise of their opening 4-2 win over Croatia, this was a performance that will raise doubts as to their chances of going all the way and winning the tournament. They dominated possession and had 19 shots to their opponents’ two, yet rarely looked like scoring past Ghana’s stand-in goalkeeper Benjamin Asare in a match watched by 63,983 fans at the Gillette Stadium near Boston. Both teams have four points with one game still to play in Group L, with progression to the next round all but assured but their final positions still in the balance.

Dr. Suzanne Huurman is the only female chief doctor at the 2026 World Cup. The 36-year-old from the Netherlands is working for Curacao, the smallest nation to ever qualify for a World Cup and Germany’s opponents in the first round of games.

Other than Dr. Silja Schwarz, who has been a doctor (but not the lead one) for Germany’s men side for the last three years, Huurman is the only female doctor at the entire tournament. In the history of the competition, Huurman is just the third woman ever to be any kind of doctor for a team at the World Cup.

The reasons for this are varied, but most connected to the male dominance of the football industry.

“It’s not because there are not good female doctors, because at medical school 70% to 80% were women in the classroom. When you go to elite sports medicine it’s getting less and less, especially in male sports medicine. It’s a real male dominated culture still,” Huurman told DW.

“You really have to prove yourself. It takes more time before they accept you, before they see. It’s all about proving your quality, showing you’re there to do everything the best you can to support them and their health. But it is difficult because there are a lot of barriers you have to face, a lot of prejudices. They say: ‘No, you cannot work here because you are a female and we don’t want a female in a male squad.’ I’ve heard it a million times. You just have to prove yourself, keep going and don’t give up because someone tells you no.”

Huurman’s journey is clearly proof of that. She started at the Dutch football club Go Ahead Eagles Deventer, has been a head of medical in professional sports since 2015 and worked at Real Madrid for several years.

In her experience, the problems arose at directorial and higher management levels of bigger organizations, where she was often met with the reply: “No, we cannot allow a female in a male staff.”

Huurman focused on the work

Huurman does what she can to let her work and experience speak for itself.

“Being the only female in the whole squad, I try not to focus on it,” Huurman said. “I try to do the best I can as a doctor, deliver the maximum every day, and to have everything prepared. That’s the most important thing for me.”

“Of course it’s unfair, but the whole world is unfair so we can complain about it, but the only thing you can do as a professional is prove your worth and show that you are capable.”

In March of this year, FIFA approved new legislation that women’s teams at tournaments must have at least two female staff members, with one needing to be the head or assistant coach. Nothing similar has been implemented for the men’s side of the game, where the majority of all staff members are male.

“The challenge for female doctors entering a male dominated football world is first to enter, that they accept you — even if your CV is perfect, you are still a woman,” said Huurman. “And then, once you’re there, it takes more time for them to accept you for who you are and your competence. But when you show your knowledge and skills and they see it’s top level, then it’s ok. Before that is the biggest challenge.”

Hopeful for more women in the future

Doctor parity is still a long way away, but there are some encouraging signs from other sports. According to ISAKOS (the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports), the American Olympic team saw a huge jump in the number of female physicians between the 2012 London Games and the 2024 Games in Paris. In 2012, 19% of the physicians were female but 12 years later, that number was at 32%.

“I hope at the next World Cup there are way more female doctors,” said Huurman. “I think the world is changing because in other sports you can see it more, but football is really male dominated. Hopefully in four years it’s way better.”

Thanks to trailblazers like Huurman and Schwarz, the male-dominated environment of football is being challenged. Furthermore, despite all of the challenges and the prejudices many women face in elite sport, an increasing number of women keep breaking through to deliver inspiration to the next generation. American referee Tori Penso is another example of that: She is set to be in charge of Germany’s final group-stage game against Ecuador.

Thomas Klein conducted the interview for this article.

Edited by: Carla Bleiker