Toronto [Canada], July 3 (ANI): Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal booked their place in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 after staging a dramatic comeback to defeat Croatia 2-1, while Spain cruised past Austria with a composed display, barely needing to move beyond third gear.
The victories set up a mouthwatering all-Iberian pre-quarterfinal clash between the two European heavyweights.
Earlier, Switzerland sealed a comfortable 2-0 victory over Algeria to advance to the Round of 16, where they will face the winner of the clash between Colombia and Ghana.
Portugal secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia in the Round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday (local time), sealing qualification for the Round of 16.
The 2-1 comeback keeps Portugal unbeaten against Croatia in competitive matches and sends them into a Round of 16 clash with Spain.
With penalties looming, Portugal won it in the 94th minute. Leão's cross found Ramos, who powered a header home. Deep into added time, Josko Gvardiol thought he'd equalised from a scramble, but a lengthy VAR check found Igor Matanovic offside in the build-up. The goal was disallowed.
Portugal's equaliser, converted from the penalty spot by Cristiano Ronaldo, was the veteran forward's first-ever goal in the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup, achieved in his record-extending sixth appearance at the tournament, as per ESPN.
Remarkably, the penalty was also Ronaldo's only touch inside Croatia's penalty area during his 81 minutes on the pitch, highlighting his clinical impact despite limited involvement in the opposition box.
Ronaldo became the first player in history to feature in a FIFA World Cup knockout match at the age of 41 or older. The match also marked a unique milestone, as it was the first in World Cup history to feature two outfield players aged 40 or above, with Ronaldo facing former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric.
The appearance also saw Ronaldo extend another record, as he became the oldest goalscorer in World Cup knockout history at 41 years and 147 days, further underlining his longevity and enduring impact at the highest level.
This match marked a unique milestone in FIFA World Cup history, as it featured three players who have each played more than 20 World Cup matches. Cristiano Ronaldo (26 appearances), Luka Modric (23), and Ivan Perisic (21) all brought their vast tournament experience to the same game.
Ronaldo has also scored four penalties across World Cups. Only Harry Kane (5) has more in history, as per ESPN.
In another fixture, Spain produced their most commanding display of the tournament so far, beating Austria 3-0 at SoFi Stadium to reach the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup.
Before defeating Austria in the 2026 Round of 32, Spain had remarkably failed to win a single World Cup knockout match in regular or extra time since lifting the trophy on July 11, 2010.
At just 18 years of age, Spain's Lamine Yamal became the youngest player on record since 1966 in a FIFA World Cup match to achieve both of the following feats: 10+ touches inside the opposition box (14 in total), 10+ successful dribbles (10).
Spain have won all eight matches in which Lamine Yamal has started in major international tournaments, maintaining a perfect 100% winning record. This stands as the best such record for any European player in the starting XI across FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship history.
While, Mikel Oyarzabal became the first Spanish player to score two or more goals in two different matches of the same edition of the World Cup.
In another fixture, Switzerland secured a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 with a commanding 2-0 victory over Algeria on Thursday (local time), displaying a clinical performance in the Round of 32 knockout clash.
Breel Embolo of Switzerland was named Player of the Match for his impressive performance.
Embolo's 10th-minute strike marked Switzerland's second-earliest goal in a FIFA World Cup knockout stage match. Only Leopold Kielholz has scored earlier, netting in the 7th minute against Germany in 1934.
Johan Manzambi has become the only Swiss player in the past 60 years to be directly involved in five goals (three goals and two assists) in a single FIFA World Cup tournament.
While Algeria have 10-game winless streak at the FIFA World Cup against UEFA opposition. Their last such win was against Germany in 1982. (ANI)
