Spain sink – Spain turned a tense Round of 32 into a statement with a 3-0 win over Austria, powered by Mikel Oyarzabal’s clinical edge and Lamine Yamal’s constant pressure. In Toronto, Portugal and Croatia produced a chaotic thriller: Croatia led through Ivan Perišić, Cris
Toronto didn’t wait for the World Cup to find drama. By the time Spain and Austria kicked off in the Round of 32, the city was already leaning into theatrics—chanting as if it knew it was about to watch something it would remember for years.
Spain made sure the night delivered.
Luis de la Fuente’s side might not have dazzled in the group stage—Spain opened the tournament with a frustrating draw against debutants Cape Verde—but against Austria they looked like the team everyone else needs to plan for. Spain didn’t just win; they did it with routine control and an almost suffocating steadiness. keeping the ball until Austria ran out of gas. Unai Simón. the Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper. made it a quiet but historic night: Austria didn’t manage a single shot on target. and Simón set a new all-time World Cup record for most minutes played without conceding. The previous benchmark was 517 minutes, set by Italy’s Walter Zenga in 1990.
The midfield did its job—Rodri and Pedri brought a metronomic calm—and the cutting edge belonged to Spain’s newer generation. Lamine Yamal, 18, stretched Austria’s backline with uncomfortable pace and movement that looked unfair at times. Then Mikel Oyarzabal took control of the scoreboard. The Real Sociedad forward’s quick. relentless work on and off the ball made him the frontman Spain could build patience around. and his brace against Austria sent La Roja into the Round of 16.
Oyarzabal now has four goals in the competition. sitting just two behind Golden Boot leaders Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi. who each have six. With Spain already this composed and scary. the question hanging over the night was simple: could the 29-year-old become a sneaky contender for the honour?. For now, what stood out more was the way Spain made a tough European opponent look ordinary. Even when Austria briefly found a foothold after halftime. Spain never got distracted—they kept asking the same question until the answers ran out.
The numbers mattered, but the feeling did too. For 45 minutes. the tournament’s other Round of 32 looked like it might fade into memory: Portugal and Croatia played with tension. possession on one side and a disciplined defensive posture on the other. It was the kind of knockout match that can pass without leaving much behind.
Then the second half arrived and changed everything.
Ivan Perišić, 37, gave Croatia a shock lead early in the half, turning the game into motion. Portugal had to deal with Rafael Leão rattling the crossbar. while 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo thought he had levelled—only for an offside flag to cut short the celebration. Minutes later, he buried a penalty to give Portugal life again and restart their push.
Roberto Martinez’s boldest call came when he replaced Ronaldo with Gonçalo Ramos late in the second half. The gamble paid off almost instantly when Ramos rose above two Croatian defenders and powered home a stoppage-time winner. Croatia still thought extra time had been forced in the dying seconds, but another offside decision ended that hope.
The finish was pure cinema at Toronto Stadium—eighteen minutes of added time. a pitch invader. fans throwing objects onto the field. and wave after wave of late chances from some of the sport’s biggest names. Technically perfect it wasn’t, but the World Cup doesn’t always reward perfection. It rewards moments that make you feel something.
Portugal survived and now set up a blockbuster Round of 16 showdown with Spain. Croatia left heartbroken, in what may have been Luka Modrić’s final World Cup appearance.
Beyond the result, this match showed what hosting the tournament can mean for Canada. Toronto Stadium became the backdrop for chaos. controversy. heartbreak and jubilation that will stick in the memory of everyone who saw it. And as the tournament keeps pushing forward toward 2026. nights like this are exactly the kind that grow the game—one unforgettable evening at a time.
Portugal’s Round of 32 clash with Croatia kicked off at midnight in Portugal. exactly one year after the death of Diogo Jota. Before kickoff at Toronto Stadium. the big screens displayed his photo following the Portuguese national anthem as supporters paused to remember one of the country’s most beloved athletes.
The day also carried other signals of what this tournament is becoming. Sportsnet soccer reporter John Molinaro captured one last postcard from Toronto Stadium before Portugal and Croatia took the pitch on Thursday. As the sun dipped below the skyline. a packed stadium of fans from around the world soaked in the atmosphere for Toronto’s final match of the 2026 World Cup—a sendoff for a city that has embraced the tournament from day one.
Fun fact: Ronaldo scored his first goal for Real Madrid at this stadium in 2009, in a friendly against Toronto FC.
The impact of Thursday’s matches can be seen through three standout performers.
Gonçalo Ramos for Portugal was introduced off the bench and made an impact when it mattered most. His stoppage-time header booked Portugal’s place in the Round of 16. The new AC Milan striker has averaged a goal or assist every 37 minutes at the World Cup. the best ratio of any Portuguese player thus far.
Mikel Oyarzabal for Spain didn’t need celebrity status to deliver. His brace against Austria sent Spain through, extending a remarkable run of 17 goals in his last 17 international appearances. Ever since scoring the winner in the Euro 2024 final, the 29-year-old hasn’t slowed down.
Lamine Yamal for Spain was the constant menace. Against Austria, he became the youngest player since 1966 to record more than 10 touches in the opposition box at a World Cup. Yamal played 85 minutes—his longest outing of the tournament and his most since returning from a hamstring injury.
By Thursday’s end, Spain had turned control into a weapon and Portugal had survived chaos. In Toronto, the World Cup did what it always does when it’s at its best: it made the past, the present, and the future share the same stage—and left everyone rushing to talk about what they’d just seen.
World Cup Spain Austria Portugal Croatia Mikel Oyarzabal Lamine Yamal Gonçalo Ramos Cristiano Ronaldo Ivan Perišić Luka Modrić Unai Simón Toronto Stadium