2026 World Cup Recap: Ronaldo Lifts Portugal, Spain Cruise, Swiss End 88-Year Wait

Spain delivered a masterclass to dismantle Austria, Portugal survived a chaotic finish against Croatia thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty and a Gonçalo Ramos stoppage-time winner, and Switzerland comfortably dispatched Algeria to record their first World Cup knockout victory in 88 years. The bracket for the Round of 16 is nearly set, with three final ties still to be decided on July 3. Spain 3-0 AustriaMikel Oyarzabal struck twice — once in the 36th minute from a Marc Cucurella delivery and again with a stunning finish in the 89th — to cap a dominant Spanish performance. Pedro Porro headed in his first international goal from an Alex Baena cross just past the hour mark to double the lead. Austria failed to register a single shot on target across the entire 90 minutes, barely troubling Unai Simón. It was Spain's first World Cup knockout win since the 2010 final, and they advanced without having conceded a goal all tournament — a defensive record that will send a warning to every remaining side. Portugal 2-1 CroatiaIvan Perišić put Croatia ahead in the 53rd minute, sweeping home to silence the Portuguese support. But Cristiano Ronaldo, who had seen a spectacular earlier effort ruled out for offside, converted a 68th-minute penalty after a VAR review confirmed a foul on Josko Gvardiol. The drama deepened when Croatia thought they had a 103rd-minute equalizer through Gvardiol, only for VAR to disallow it for a marginal offside — confirmed by technology akin to cricket's "snickometer" detecting a faint touch. Four minutes into added time, Gonçalo Ramos headed in a Rafael Leão cross to win it. After the final whistle, Portugal's players held up Diogo Jota's shirt in an emotional tribute. They face Spain in the Round of 16. Switzerland 2-0 AlgeriaBreel Embolo opened the scoring inside 10 minutes, finishing off a jet-heeled run and cross from 20-year-old Johan Manzambi — the tournament's breakout star, who became the youngest player to reach five goal involvements at a World Cup since 1966. Dan Ndoye struck within 48 seconds of the restart, capitalising on slack Algerian defending to slot home and effectively end the contest. Algeria barely troubled Manuel Akanji and the Swiss backline, managing nothing of note in attack. Granit Xhaka orchestrated the tempo throughout, and Murat Yakin's side — unbeaten all tournament — look a genuine threat heading into a last-16 clash with Colombia or Ghana. Upcoming Matches for July 3 (all times ET):2PM ET — Australia vs Egypt, AT&T Stadium, Dallas6PM ET — Argentina vs Cape Verde, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami9:30PM ET — Colombia vs Ghana, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City