The 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 started in shocking fashion. Japan nearly cemented their dark-horse status after snatching a 1-0 lead against a lackluster Brazil side going into halftime. The Seleção would eventually course-correct, responding with two goals to secure their spot in the Round of 16. The real bombshell results came just hours later.
Germany dropped the ball against a spirited Paraguay side, ultimately succumbing to La Albirroja in a drama-filled penalty shootout. The Netherlands became the next European heavyweight sent packing, and in similar fashion to their continental neighbors. Clockwork Orange squandered their lead in their penalty shootout after a resilient Morocco stood firm, getting the job done, and booking their ticket to the Round of 16 in consecutive World Cups for the first time ever.
The script writers’ pens would eventually run dry in the face of widespread criticism aimed towards European football.
Erling Haaland led Norway to the Round of 16 for the first time in 28 years, beating a talented Ivory Coast 2-1. England overcame their shaky start against DR Congo thanks to an elite performance from their captain Harry Kane. Finally, Belgium secured a dramatic, late comeback against Kalidou Koulibaly’s Senegal side after finding themselves 2-0 down.
Since Germany and the Netherland’s failures, European sides responded in a big way — and the latest Round of 32 fixtures were no different.
The Bull and the Matador
Ralf Rangnick may be responsible for the inception of the high-octane Gegenpressing, Red-Bull-style identity adopted by Austria, but Spain acted as the ultimate matador — waving the cape in the face of an Austrian side that was left bewildered and exhausted.
Despite Austria’s best attempts to deploy their iconic press, they were ultimately left chasing shadows. Rodri, Pedri, and Dani Olmo’s quick, one-touch passing and fluid movement allowed Spain to control the game from the heart of the pitch, leaving Austria’s press full of holes. This allowed Luis de la Fuente’s men the opportunity to involve their front three, who were relentless in front of goal. Speaking of…
Lamine Yamal was an absolute menace for an Austrian defense that had no answers for the winger’s electric pace and sleek dribbling. The 18-year-old may not have found himself among the goalscorers, but he is slowly starting to look like his former self after carrying a niggling hamstring injury into the World Cup. Yamal may have been the focal point for Spain’s attack, but that didn’t stop Álex Baena from quietly having an excellent game. Baena provided a pinpoint cross for Pedro Porro’s 66th-minute header while also combining perfectly on the left flank with Marc Cucurella, who helped pull the strings for Mikel Oyarzabal’s clinical brace.
It was ultimately Spain’s attack that earned them a convincing 3-0 victory over Austria, but don’t sleep on their defense. La Roja still haven’t conceded a goal in this tournament, extending their clean sheet record in the World Cup to five consecutive games. Unai Simón also made history, beating Walter Zenga’s 36-year-old record to claim the longest individual shutout streak (519 minutes). The Spanish attack may be winning games, but their defense could win them the tournament.
It’s baffling that so many have written off this Spain side after coming in as favorites to lift the World Cup. Sure, de la Fuente’s side has had a slow start to the tournament while teams like France and Argentina have been flying high. But don’t forget, the World Cup isn’t won in the group stages.
As the gears slowly start clicking into place, don’t be surprised if Spain reclaim their title as favorites.
Ronaldo gets knockout goal as Snicko robs Croatia of late comeback
Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modrić, two footballing legends of the modern era, went head-to-head in an epic encounter in the hopes of keeping their dreams of World Cup glory alive — it didn’t disappoint.
The first half was largely dominated by Portugal, who seemed to have the jump on a Croatia side who hadn’t quite lived up to their regular World Cup best. But what started as a fairly tame encounter exploded in the second half.
Croatia put their first half demons to bed after a 37-year-old Ivan Perišić found the back of Portugal’s net in the 53rd minute. Jubilation for Croatia, and an all-too-familiar situation for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal who were set for yet another World Cup disappointment. But history had other plans.
Portugal were handed a lifeline in the 64th minute after Nikola Vlašić‘s tussle with Renato Veiga was deemed a penalty by VAR. The decision set up a historical moment for Ronaldo, who despite scoring across six separate World Cups, had never scored a goal in the knockout stages of the tournament. But the 41-year-old stepped up, and in vintage Ronaldo fashion, converted his penalty — a wave of relief for Portugal and Ronaldo.
Zlatko Dalić’s side picked up their game, causing Portugal all sorts of discomfort but it would be Roberto Martínez’s men who would break the deadlock. Rafael Leão found Gonçalo Ramos with a pinpoint accurate cross in the dying embers of the game, and the AC Milan striker made no mistake in front of goal, heading home from close range. Game over? Oh no, there was even more drama to follow.
In the 105th minute,Joško Gvardiol produced the impossible, tapping the ball past Portugal’s Diogo Costa after a scramble. But the goal wouldn’t stand. FIFA’s latest connected ball technology finally got its moment in the limelight. The late equalizer was disallowed after the Snickometer detected a touch by a Croatian attacker on the cross leading to Gvardiol’s goal, despite no clear visual indications of contact.
Drama involving FIFA’s newest technological addition was always bound to happen. But, Croatia will be ruing the fact it came at the expense of their fairy tale, last-minute equalizer.
Block low, aim high
Switzerland ended an unwanted record after beating Algeria 2-0, earning their first knockout victory at the World Cup in 88 years.
Algeria started off the better of the two sides, holding possession in the hopes of pinning down the Rossocrociati. However, the North African side fell right into Murat Yakin’s low-block trap.
In the 10th minute, Algeria lost possession deep in Switzerland’s half, setting up a lightning-fast counter-attack courtesy of World Cup breakout star Johan Manzambi. The 20-year-old produced a dazzling, solo run down the left flank, releasing a perfectly weighted cross to Breel Embolo, who made no mistake with his close-range finish.
Switzerland didn’t allow Vladimir Petković’s side the chance to implement any halftime tactical adjustments, scoring just 60 seconds after the restart. Algeria’s defensive clearance fell perfectly to the feet of Nottingham Forest’s Dan Ndoye, who produced a cool, right-footed finish into the bottom corner, sending his side two goals to the good, and ultimately booking Switzerland’s ticket into the Round of 16.
Call it boring, negative, or even anti football — the defensive low-block has a place in this World Cup and Switzerland played it to perfection. The real question is: just how far can it get them?
Well, to the Round of 16 at the very least where Switzerland will have the chance to put it to the test against Colombia or Ghana.
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- New, improved notifications system!
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
About the Author
