Spain cruise past Austria while Portugal edge Croatia Wednesday to book last-16 tie

By&nbspSertac Aktan&nbspwith&nbspAP

Published on 03/07/2026 - 6:00 GMT+2•Updated 7:58

FIFA World Cup knockout matches continued on Wednesday into Thursday CET in the round of 32, with first, 2010 champion Spain advancing with a 3-0 victory over Austria, and second, Portugal defeating Croatia 2-1, both teams reaching the World Cup last 16.

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Spain's victory came at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, just outside Los Angeles. Two goals from Mikel Oyarzabal either side of a Pedro Porro header sent the Spaniards into a meeting with Portugal.

Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo in his sixth World Cup tournament, took on 2018 finalist Croatia in Toronto, in a drama-filled 2-1 victory.

Ramos glanced in a sensational header in the fourth minute of injury time before Croatia had a last-gasp equaliser ruled out for offside as Portugal advanced to a titanic clash with Spain next Monday.

In a a historic moment, Switzerland defeated Algeria 2-0 in the round of 32 on Thursday evening in Vancouver, finally ending their knockout curse that had haunted them for decades.

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