Ronaldo Breaks Knockout Duck, Spain Crush Austria, Switzerland Make History: World Cup 2026 Day Review

The knockout stage of the World Cup is heating up, and Tuesday delivered a string of memorable moments. Spain steamrolled Austria 3-0, Portugal edged Croatia in a thriller, and Switzerland finally ended their 88-year wait for a knockout victory. Spain were in complete control from the first whistle. Ralf Rangnick’s Austria rarely threatened, struggling to even reach the opposition box. Lamine Yamal was the creative spark again, though not every teammate read his runs. FIFA still named him man of the match – his dribbling and audacity lit up the Los Angeles crowd. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice, Marc Cucurella bagged two assists, and goalkeeper Unai Simón set a new record by going 519 consecutive World Cup minutes without conceding, surpassing Walter Zenga’s mark. Portugal vs Croatia was a classic. Luka Modric’s farewell tournament ended in defeat, but Cristiano Ronaldo finally scored his first World Cup knockout goal. At 39, he became the oldest goalscorer in World Cup history and reached 25 combined goals at World Cups and European Championships – more than any other player. After the final whistle, Ronaldo embraced Modric, a touching moment between two giants. Switzerland wrote a new chapter. Their win over Algeria was their first in a World Cup knockout match since 1938. Johan Manzambi continued to shine – after scoring twice against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the group stage, he added a goal and an assist against Algeria. His combination of power, technique, and pace has drawn comparisons to Pogba, Ronaldo, and Lukaku. Riyad Mahrez announced his retirement from international football after the match. The day also had its share of drama. Fabian Rieder somehow missed an open goal, firing straight at the keeper. Gonçalo Ramos scored a brilliant header surrounded by three defenders – arguably the goal of the round. David Alaba made a stunning save to deny Yamal from eight yards. And the Connected Ball Technology ruled out a Croatian goal after detecting the slightest handball by Igor Matanovic.