Spain demonstrated their strength by thrashing Austria 3-0, thus securing their passage to the next phase. Goals from Mikel Oyarzabal (brace) and Pedro Porro sealed the victory. Lamine Yamal was named MVP of the match for his outstanding performance against the Austrian defense. Goalkeeper Unai Simón kept a clean sheet, adding a new record with the national team. Spain will face Portugal in the next round.
Portugal achieved an epic 2-1 victory against Croatia, in what is presumed to be Luka Modric's final World Cup match. Croatia took the lead with a goal from Perišić, but Portugal came back with a penalty converted by Cristiano and a header from Gonçalo Ramos in added time. The match was marked by controversy, with a disallowed goal for Gvardiol in the final minute due to a very contentious offside. Despite the win, Portugal was far from its best level, and Croatia dominated much of the game. Diogo Costa had a notable performance in goal, while Croatia had three goals disallowed for offside.
In the last match of the day, Switzerland clearly defeated Algeria 2-0. Manzambi was the standout player, creating the first goal which Embolo finished into an empty net. Ndoye scored the second goal early in the second half. Switzerland will face the winner of the match between Colombia and Ghana in the Round of 16.
The schedule for Thursday, July 3 (Spanish time) includes the matches Australia vs. Egypt (20:00), Argentina vs. Cabo Verde (00:00), and Colombia vs. Ghana (03:30).
