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The Thursday matches in the saw three new teams qualify for the next round: Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland overcame their respective challenges and secured their spots among the top 16 teams of the tournament taking place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Spain was the most convincing of the night, thrashing Austria 3-0 at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, reaffirming their bid for the title.
After a somewhat idea-less start, Luis de la Fuente's team found the necessary spaces on the flanks and ultimately asserted their superiority clearly.
Mikel Oyarzabal was the standout performer with a brace — in the 36th and 89th minutes, both assisted by Marc Cucurella — while Pedro Porro scored the second goal in the 66th minute against an Austrian defense that could never contain the offensive power of La Roja.
Spain has kept its goal untouched throughout the tournament and will face Portugal on July 6 at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, in one of the most appealing matchups of the round of 16.
Portugal, for its part, experienced the most dramatic match of the day by defeating Croatia 2-1 at BMO Field in Toronto in a game that had it all.
The Portuguese dominated the first half, but Ivan Perišić turned the score around early in the second half with a goal in the 53rd minute.
Cristiano Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot in the 68th minute after a VAR review, although he later left the field.
When the match seemed headed for extra time, Gonçalo Ramos scored with a header in the 90+4 minute to give Portugal the victory.
Croatia believed it had equalized with a goal from Joško Gvardiol in the final action, but VAR ruled it out for offside, sparking controversy and definitively concluding the match.
The team of Roberto Martínez will now face Spain in what promises to be one of the most anticipated matches of this stage of the tournament.
Switzerland, meanwhile, efficiently fulfilled its commitment against Algeria at BC Place in Vancouver, winning 2-0 without any significant surprises.
Breel Embolo opened the scoring in the 10th minute after a great individual play by Johan Manzambi on the left, and the Swiss team controlled the match without giving the opponent clear chances.
As the second half just began, Dan Ndoye sealed the qualification with a powerful shot from the edge of the box in the 46th minute.
According to data from the research dossier, it would be the first time in five appearances that Switzerland advances past the knockout stage in a World Cup, a historic milestone for Swiss football.
The Swiss will await the winner of the match between Colombia and Ghana, scheduled for this Friday at 21:30 Cuba time at Arrowhead Stadium, to find out who their next opponent will be in the Round of 16, a match that will take place on July 7 in Vancouver.
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