Sports

Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in the 2026 World Cup Round of 32, but the real story was four disallowed Croatian goals, the last overturned when FIFA's 500Hz Connected Ball sensor detected a near-invisible touch that reset the offside line. Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, scored his first-ever World Cup knockout goal via penalty, then substitute Goncalo Ramos headed in a 90+4 winner to send Portugal into a Round of 16 clash with unbeaten Spain on July 6.

Goals from Breel Embolo and Dan Ndoye gave Switzerland their first World Cup knockout victory since 1938, ending a seven-match losing streak in the elimination rounds. The win was built around 20-year-old Freiburg midfielder Johan Manzambi, who set up the opener and now has four goal involvements in four matches at the tournament. Algeria, coached by former Switzerland boss Vladimir Petkovic, barely threatened all night and were eliminated despite a dramatic group-stage run that included a Riyad Mahrez stoppage-time equalizer against Austria.

Spain posted the tournament's most dominant performance yet against Austria, generating 2.84 xG to Austria's 0.32 while Mikel Oyarzabal's brace pushed his World Cup tally to four goals and broke a 16-year knockout-stage win drought. Lamine Yamal played 85 managed minutes after recovering from an April hamstring tear, signaling he will take a more aggressive role against Portugal on Monday. That Round of 16 clash carries extra weight: Spain's only previous World Cup knockout meeting with Portugal was a 1-0 win in 2010 that launched their title run, while Portugal arrives having barely survived Croatia on a stoppage-time Ramos header.

On the first anniversary of Diogo Jota's death, Liverpool unveiled a permanent sculpture at Anfield called 'Forever 20,' while Portugal's World Cup squad wore wristbands bearing his name and displayed his No. 21 shirt after beating Croatia 2-1. The article details how both tributes were deliberately designed — from the sculpture's dual shirt numbers honoring Jota and his brother to FIFA's choice of applause over silence — and why the family's involvement in every decision set a model worth noting. Together, the gestures show how modern football is developing a more structured, participatory language of public grief.

Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in stoppage time at the 2026 World Cup, ending what is almost certainly Luka Modrić's international career after 198 caps, a World Cup final, and 28 trophies at Real Madrid. Ronaldo embraced his former teammate at full time and told reporters 'he's still a legend of football,' while Croatia's coach was left criticizing VAR rather than naming a successor. The result closes a 20-year era for Croatian football with no clear plan for what comes next.

Spain meets Portugal in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 on July 6 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with bookmakers pricing Spain at -750 to advance after four matches without conceding a single goal. The tactical core of the match pits Spain's teenage winger Lamine Yamal and the Rodri-Pedri midfield axis against Portugal's Vitinha-Fernandes partnership and 41-year-old captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who remains Portugal's leading scorer but now functions primarily as a penalty-area finisher. Portugal's only recent competitive edge is a 2025 UEFA Nations League final penalty shootout win, but Spain has won seven of twelve competitive meetings all-time and every World Cup knockout encounter between the two nations.