While You Were Sleeping: Portugal strike late to send Croatia home, Swiss beat Algeria
Goncalo Ramos celebrates a stoppage-time winner for Portugal. Pic: Dan Mullan/Getty
Goncalo Ramos headed a stoppage-time winner and Josko Gvardiol had an equaliser controversially disallowed as Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in a thrilling World Cup last-32 contest in Toronto.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s first World Cup knockout goal had cancelled out Ivan Perisic’s opener in a contest that saw four efforts ruled out for offside, including what would have been a goal of the tournament contender for the 41-year-old Ronaldo.
Read the full match report here.
Enjoy the goals and that controversial disallowed goal below.
🇵🇹 0-1 🇭🇷
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 3, 2026
Ivan Perisic had the freedom of Toronto to compose himself and put Croatia ahead, as they have really improved in this second half.
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🇵🇹 1-1 🇭🇷
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 3, 2026
Was there ever any doubt? Ronaldo equalises for Portugal from the penalty spot.
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🇵🇹 2-1 🇭🇷
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 3, 2026
Goncalo Ramos may have just put Portugal into the round of 16 as the Portuguese striker hangs in the air and heads home late on.
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Full Time: 🇵🇹 2-1 🇭🇷
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 3, 2026
One regular day in the World Cup, that's all we ask for.
After equalising with the last kick of the game, Croatia's goal is ruled out with what can only be described as a contentious VAR decision.
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Costa; Cancelo (G Ramos 63), Dias, Veiga, Mendes; J Neves, Vitinha (B Silva 62); Neto (Conceição 63), Fernandes (Semedo 63), Leao; Ronaldo (R Neves 81).
Dias.
Livakovic; Stanisic, Sutalo, Pongracic, Perisic; Modric, Kovacic (Kramaric 90); Vlasic (Gvardiol 90), Sucic, Baturina (Pašalić 68); Budimir (Matanovic 45).
Modric, Perisic.
For Diogo ❤️#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/v5iwvVp96I
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 3, 2026
Espen Eskas (Norway).
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal).
"For me, especially, I love those type of moments, I love that type of game, I want to play every game like that, I want to be in the big moment.”
"I'm not afraid for the future of the Croatian team. We have a lot of young players coming in and some of them have shown the quality today. We've come to an end of a wonderful era. And some new beginnings await us."
Gonçalo Ramos has scored four goals in his 187 minutes played at the FIFA World Cup. The only other player to have less than 200 minutes played and at least four goals in FIFA World Cup history is Poland’s Ernst Wilimowski - OptaAnalyst.
He did it again against Croatia (as if there was much doubt) scoring from the spot, scoring a delightful 'prime-Ronaldo' goal that was chalked off on the hour mark and taking home the Player of the Match trophy. However, CR7 was only present in flashes for Portugal again tonight and was upstaged by a younger, fresher Goncalo Ramos who came on with 40 minutes to go, looked sharp and scored a towering header to put Portugal into the round of 16.
It will be next to impossible for Roberto Martinez to bench his veteran striker now, especially after scoring three goals in as many games but the bottom line is Portugal flow better without him. There's more fluidity in their play and with Ramos up top Portugal are able to press higher and build attacks faster. It might seem counter-productive to take your top scorer out of the side especially this deep into the tournament but it could be the difference between winning and losing the entire thing.
Switzerland striker Breel Embolo struck early and winger Dan Ndoye added a second as their side cruised to a 2-0 win over Algeria on Thursday and into the last 16 at the World Cup, where they will meet Colombia or Ghana back in Vancouver next week.
Murat Yakin's Swiss side put on a tactical masterclass, shifting formations and laying traps for Algeria before hitting them with two sucker-punch goals that decided a contest short on excitement, but full of intrigue and nuance.
Pitted against a familiar foe in Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic, who had seven years at the helm of Switzerland between 2014 and 2021, Yakin set his team up to absorb early pressure and strike on the break, and that is exactly what they did.
Read the full match report here.
Watch the goals below:
🇨🇭 1-0 🇩🇿
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 3, 2026
Embolo will get the goal, but it was all off the back of an amazing run and assist from Johan Manzambi to put Switzerland in the lead.
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🇨🇭 2-0 🇩🇿
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 3, 2026
Only 45 seconds into the second half, Switzerland double their lead; after Algeria fail to clear their lines twice, Dan Ndoye makes them pay.
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Kobel; Zakaria (Widmer 87), Akanji, Elvedi, Rodriguez; Freuler, Xhaka; Ndoye (Aebischer 87), Manzambi (Okafor 71), Vargas (Rieder 71); Embolo (Amdouni 83).
Zidane; Belghali (Boulbina 82), Bensebaini, Mandi, Ait-Nouri; Zerrouki (Gouiri 58), Bentaleb (Boudaoui 71); Mahrez (Hadj Moussa 71) , Aouar (Hadjam 58), Chaibi; Maza.
Chaibi, Boudaoui.
Yael Falcon Perez (Argentina).
Breel Embolo (Switzerland).
At 20 years and 261 days old, Johan Manzambi is the youngest player to reach five goal involvements (three goals, two assists) at a FIFA World Cup on record (since 1966) - OptaAnalyst.
For the fourth consecutive game Spain kept a clean sheet, Unai Simón breaking Iker Casillas’s record and Pau Cubarsí and Aymeric Laporte confirming their status as the centre-back pair of the tournament so far, but what really stood out was what was happening everywhere else.
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— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 2, 2026
A little flat until now, that opening quarter against Saudi Arabia apart, here they flew and the ball did too. Intense, incisive, and ultimately entirely dominant.
A lot of fun too, right from the start. And if Austria played their part then, by the time Oyarzabal added the third, this belonged only to Spain. What had looked like being a game had ended up belonging only to them.
Read the full match report here.
Watch the goals below:
🇪🇸 1-0 🇦🇹
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 2, 2026
GOAL FOR OYARZABAL
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🇪🇸 2-0 🇦🇹
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 2, 2026
An excellent Spain moved finished off by PEDRO PORRO
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🇪🇸 3-0 🇦🇹
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 2, 2026
OYARZABAL SENDS SPAIN INTO THE ROUND OF 16
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Reece James and Jarell Quansah were again missing from training as England recovered from their last-32 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The defensive duo were ruled out of the 2-1 victory in Atlanta with injuries sustained in the group stage.
James tweaked a hamstring against Ghana while Quansah, who replaced him in the following match with Panama, rolled his ankle.
Their continued absence from the light session back in Kansas City on Thursday must leave them as doubts for the last-16 tie with Mexico in Mexico City on Sunday.
A group of 13 players took to the training pitch at Swope Soccer Village, with those who did not play in Atlanta joined by late substitutes Eberechi Eze and John Stones.
The full squad will train again on Friday afternoon before heading straight to Mexico City for the last-16 tie at the Estadio Azteca.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan remains uncertain whether forward Mohamed Salah will start Friday's World Cup last-32 clash against Australia at Dallas Stadium, as the 34-year-old continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.
Salah returned to partial training on Wednesday after sustaining the strain in the 1-1 draw with Iran last Friday as the Egyptians picked up the point they needed to progress to the knockout rounds for the first time.
"Salah is a passionate player and he is very much looking forward to making his own contribution," Hassan said.
"I'm not going to run any risk unless I'm 100 percent sure he is fit and raring to go tomorrow.
"We look forward to him playing tomorrow, but we're not sure if he's going to be in the starting lineup."
Salah has scored once at the tournament so far, netting his side's second goal as the Egyptians battled back to hand New Zealand a 3-1 defeat in the group phase.
He asked to be substituted with 33 minutes remaining against the Iranians and his battle to be fit has overshadowed his team's preparations for one of the biggest games in their history.
"He is one of the best players globally and I'm very lucky to work with him and I'm very happy with our work together so far," said Hassan.
"I have managed to deploy him tactically and technically speaking and he has surpassed the capabilities that people had expected of him so far."
Tony Popovic's Australia side are expected to present the Egyptians with a physical challenge but Hassan is confident his team will be well prepared to deal with that test.
"On the African continent we have vast experience with tall players, comparable to the Australia side we're going to face tomorrow," he said.
"It's the same as New Zealand, Belgium and Iran. We have dealt so far with such conditions...
"Every team has its weaknesses and strengths and we're well prepared to deal with whatever we're going to face.
"(Diego) Maradona wasn't the tallest of players, (Lionel) Messi isn't either. It's not about tall or short. We're not playing rugby here, we're playing football. Not American football, but football and we're fit and raring to go."
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