What did you miss last night? And what’s on the schedule today? Our daily compact roundup—this time featuring the irresistible Spaniards and a wild stoppage time in the match between Portugal and Croatia.
Oyarzabal turns it on
In the evening (German time), the Round of 16 match between Spain and Austria was on the schedule. And it turned out to be a one-sided affair, as the World Cup co-favorite left nothing to chance. Oyarzabal and Cucurella, in particular, had a stellar day. The former scored a brace, while the latter set up both goals. Pedro Porro scored the third goal in the Iberians’ decisive 3-0 victory. Luis de la Fuente’s team will face either Portugal or Croatia on Monday (9 p.m.).
Ronaldo Makes His Debut – Bitter End for Croatia
In the second match of the day, the Portuguese clearly set the pace against Croatia in the first half but failed to capitalize. After the break, the Croatians came out strong and took the lead through Perisic. Then came Cristiano Ronaldo’s big moment: First, a fine goal by CR7 was disallowed due to a narrow offside call; shortly afterward, he scored from the penalty spot, netting his first goal in a World Cup knockout match. Things then took a dramatic turn in stoppage time: First, Goncalo Ramos scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time; then, in the 13th minute of stoppage time, a Croatian goal was disallowed—the third disallowed goal for Zlatko Dalic’s team. A truly bitter end for Luka Modric and company. Their elimination in the Round of 16 could also have been the captain’s final international match.
Switzerland Advances Confidently
Switzerland remains on track and can dream of its first quarterfinal appearance since the 1954 home tournament. Murat Yakin’s team easily defeated Algeria 2–0 in the Round of 32 in Vancouver and thus remains undefeated in this tournament. Breel Embolo (10th) gave the Nati an early lead. After the break, his striking partner Dan Ndoye (46th) sealed the victory early. Johan Manzambi of SC Freiburg set up the first goal brilliantly with a solo run down the left flank. The victory could have been even more decisive, but Augsburg’s Fabian Rieder missed an open net (80th minute).
Here’s what’s in store for World Cup Day
The remaining three Round of 32 matches are scheduled for this evening and tonight. At 8 p.m. German time, Australia and Egypt will face off. But at midnight, Argentina is the overwhelming favorite against Cape Verde. And later tonight (3:30 a.m.), Colombia and Ghana will finally square off.
