AF WC Roundup: Portugal sends Croatia out, Spain, Switzerland advance

Welcome to the All-New AF World Cup Roundup, your One-Stop Destination for World Cup News & Updates.

Match Highlights

Spain 3-0 Austria: Oyarzabal scores double & Cucurella shines in a comfortable win

Spain ended their long wait for a World Cup knockout-stage goal as they eased through to the last 16 with a 3-0 win over Austria.

Portugal 1-1 Croatia: Ramos header sends Portugal through, Ronaldo scores first WC knockout goal

Perisic scored the opener, Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty equalized the scoreboard and scored his first goal in the World Cup Knockout stage. Gvardiol's final-minute follow-up shot brought a slim of hope for Croatia but Pasalic is at offside position when he passed the assist.

Switzerland 2-0 Algeria: Manzambi shines with brilliant assist, Fabian Rieder misses open goal

On July 3rd, in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32, Switzerland beats Algeria with the result of 2-0, Embolo and Ndoye score for the Red Crosses.

Key Stats Board

Finally! Ronaldo scores his FIRST EVER goal in World Cup knock-out stage

In the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match between Portugal and Croatia, Ronaldo scored in the second half to equalize for Portugal, finally netting his first goal in his 31st shot in the FIFA World Cup knockout stages.

Portugal remains undefeated in first four World Cup matches for third time in history

In the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32, Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 to advance to the Round of 16. Portugal remains undefeated in all four matches of this FIFA World Cup, marking the third time in the team's history this has happened.

Elliot Anderson becomes third most expensive EPL signing with £116m Man City move

Elliot Anderson becomes the third-most expensive signing in Premier League history after Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz with his £116m transfer from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City.

Xhaka reaches 150 caps for Switzerland, first in national team history

During the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match between Switzerland and Algeria, Granit Xhaka reached a historic milestone of 150 appearances for the Swiss national team, becoming the first player in the team's history to achieve this feat.

4 Key Passes, 6 Crosses & 7.6 Rating: Nuno Mendes Drives Portugal Past Croatia

Nuno Mendes delivered a complete left-back performance against Croatia, racking up 4 key passes, 6 crosses, and 2 big chances created en route to a 7.6 rating.

Four goals disallowed in Portugal vs. Croatia match, including a late equalizer

At 7:00 PM CET on July 3, in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, Portugal played Croatia, with Portugal ultimately winning 2-1 and advancing to the quarterfinals.

Gonçalo Ramos reaches 4 World Cup knockout goals, second only to Eusébio in Portuguese history

In the 2026 World Cup Round of 16, Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 in a comeback victory. Gonçalo Ramos came on as a substitute and scored a goal. With this goal, Gonçalo Ramos has now scored 4 goals in World Cup knockout stages, second only to Eusébio in Portuguese team history.

Gonçalo Ramos scores Portugal's latest World Cup winner in 93:09

In the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16, Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 after a comeback. Substitute Gonçalo Ramos scored the winning goal in the 93rd minute and 9 seconds, making it Portugal's latest winning goal in FIFA World Cup history.

Portugal reaches Round of 16, wins consecutive World Cup knockout openers

On July 2nd, in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, Portugal played against Croatia. Portugal ultimately overturned Croatia 2-1 to successfully advance to the Round of 16.

Ronaldo becomes oldest scorer in World Cup knockout stage at 41 years and 147 days

In the FIFA World Cup round of 16 match against Croatia, Ronaldo's penalty kick helped Portugal equalize the score at 1-1.

These Things Happen

OFFICIAL: Spurs signs Mateus Fernandes, transfer fee £85 million

Tottenham Hotspur have officially announced the signing of Portuguese midfielder Matheus Fernandes from West Ham United for a transfer fee of £85 million.

OFFICIAL: Man City sign 23 y/o Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson for fee of £116 million

OFFICIAL: Manchester City sign 23-year-old Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson for a fee of £116 million

Romano: Jackson to return to Chelsea from FC Bayern

According to Romano, FC Bayern has confirmed that Nicolas Jackson will return to Chelsea with immediate effect since buy clause is not triggered. Chelsea will decide the future of this young striker.

FIFA: Smart technology confirms player touched ball before Croatia's equalizer

On July 3, in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1. In the injury time of the second half, Croatia scored a "leveling" goal, but due to Pasalic being offside, the goal was disallowed. After the match, FIFA officially explained the reason for the disallowed goal and the technical images provided by VAR via social media.

Spurs confirm Mateus Fernandes deal - with Tonali poised to jet in from Milan to complete £100m move

Sandro Tonali declared he is 'ready for this new adventure' as the Newcastle star travelled to London to complete a £100m move to Tottenham, minutes after Spurs announced the arrival of Mateus Fernandes.

Five players Arsenal can sign for free this week to save Mikel Arteta millions

Arsenal are looking to strengthen their squad ahead of the new Premier League season, and there are a number of high-profile free agents available to sign this week

Reason why Arsenal rejected Sandro Tonali transfer as Tottenham close in on enormous deal

Newcastle United have agreed to sell Sandro Tonali for £100million this summer after missing out on Champions League qualification last season by finishing 12th in the Premier League

Gordon compares Kane to Messi after England captain's World Cup heroics

Anthony Gordon likened Harry Kane to Argentina great Lionel Messi after the England captain's brace kept the Three Lions' World Cup hopes alive. 

Keane names when England will be knocked out because they 'don't have many more gears to go to'

Roy Keane reckons England will be sent packing from the World Cup in the quarter-finals - despite coming from behind to win a World Cup match for the first time since 1966

What They Say

Ronaldo: Spain is a strong World Cup contender; we will be ready

Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 in the Round of 16 of this FIFA World Cup. Ronaldo was interviewed in the mixed zone after the match.

Ronaldo wishes Modric well for the rest of his career

After scoring a goal in the World Cup Round of 16 to help Portugal defeat Croatia 2-1 and advance to the Round of 16, Ronaldo gave an interview to Fox Sports.

Gonçalo Ramos: We miss Jota every day; confident against spain

Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 in the World Cup Round of 16, and Gonçalo Ramos spoke to Fox Sports after the match.

Cristiano Ronaldo to RETIRE from international football after the World Cup, his sister reveals

Cristiano Ronaldo will bring to an end his storied career with Portugal after the World Cup, according to his sister.

Fernandez exploring options for Chelsea exit, says agent

Enzo Fernandez's agent, Javier Pastore, announced the midfielder is "looking at possibilities to leave Chelsea".

Merson: Rice impressive at right-back for 15 minutes, but would struggle against Mexico

Paul Merson is concerned that if Tuchel temporarily plays Rice at full-back in England's FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match against Mexico, Rice could easily be targeted and exposed by the opposition.

Fixtures of the Day

World Cup Round of 32

Australia VS Egypt 2026/07/03 18:00 UTC

Argentina VS Cape Verde 2026/07/03 22:00 UTC

Colombia vs Ghana 2026/07/04 20:00 UTC