Spain, Portugal reach World Cup last 16

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

Spain, Portugal and Switzerland advanced in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage on Thursday, Friday in the Philippines, after posting Round of 32 victories that kept Europe’s contenders moving deeper into the tournament.

Spain booked its place in the last 16 with a 3-0 win over Austria behind another sharp performance from Mikel Oyarzabal.

Oyarzabal scored his third and fourth goals of the World Cup as Spain controlled the match and eased past Austria.

The victory set the tone for a dramatic knockout slate that later saw Portugal survive Croatia and Switzerland eliminate Algeria.

Portugal edged Croatia, 2-1, after Cristiano Ronaldo scored the first World Cup knockout-stage goal of his career.

Goncalo Ramos then delivered the decisive moment with a stoppage-time header to lift Portugal into the last 16.

Portugal also benefited from a last-second offside call that wiped out Croatia’s late chance to force extra time.

The result set up a high-profile last-16 clash between Portugal and Spain, adding another chapter to one of European football’s most familiar rivalries.

Switzerland completed the day’s winners with a 2-0 victory over Algeria on Thursday night in Vancouver.

Breel Embolo opened the scoring in the first half to put Switzerland in control.

Dan Ndoye added another goal at the start of the second half to seal Switzerland’s place in the round of 16.

The results continued the pressure of the expanded World Cup knockout format, where one mistake can end a campaign and one late goal can reshape the bracket.

Spain’s efficiency, Portugal’s resilience and Switzerland’s composure gave all three teams momentum heading into the next round.