Thursday delivered two very different kinds of World Cup drama. One team looked like they’d been playing together for a decade. The other looked like they were trying to kill their fans.
Spain dismantled Austria with the kind of clinical patience that makes you wonder why they struggled in the group stage. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice, Pedro Porro added a header, and suddenly a team that went scoreless for long stretches against Cape Verde looks like a legitimate contender. Oyarzabal now has four goals in this tournament. He’s one short of matching Emilio Butragueño’s 1986 total and David Villa’s 2010 mark for most goals by a Spaniard in a single World Cup. Given how he’s playing, that record feels inevitable.
Spain hasn’t conceded a goal in four straight World Cup matches. That’s not a fluke. That’s a system clicking at exactly the right time. Portugal is next, which means we get an Iberian Derby in the round of 16. No complaints there.
Portugal and Croatia delivered a game that had everything except a clean finish
If you missed Portugal vs. Croatia, you missed a mess. The good kind. Disallowed goals. Late drama. VAR decisions that required freeze frames and a magnifying glass. It had everything except a clear winner for about 94 minutes.
Croatia struck first when Ivan Perisic, who is somehow still doing this at 37, fired them ahead early in the second half. Then Cristiano Ronaldo leveled from the penalty spot for his first-ever World Cup knockout goal. In between, both sides had goals ruled out for offside. Petar Sucic thought he had one too. The flag went up again.
Roberto Martinez subbed Ronaldo off late. Smart move or risky? Turned out smart. Goncalo Ramos headed home a Rafael Leao cross in stoppage time and Portugal looked like they’d escaped. But then came the 13th minute of added time. Josko Gvardiol scrambled one in and Croatia thought they’d forced extra time. Replays showed Ivan Matanovic got the faintest touch on a cross that fell to an offside Mario Pasalic in the buildup. Goal disallowed. Portugal survives.
Croatia will feel robbed. Portugal will feel lucky. Either way, this is the kind of knockout game people remember for years.
Switzerland quietly keeps rolling behind a 20-year-old nobody saw coming
Switzerland beat Algeria 2-0 to reach the round of 16, and the story here is Johan Manzambi. The 20-year-old Freiburg midfielder has been one of the breakout players of this tournament. Against Algeria, he ripped through the defense on a solo run and set up Breel Embolo for the opener. Dan Ndoye added a second to seal it.
Manzambi is valued at €50 million by Freiburg. Newcastle has been linked, according to reports, but that price tag is only going up. If he keeps playing like this, the summer transfer window might get interesting.
Switzerland gets another knockout round date. Manzambi gets another chance to remind everyone why Europe’s biggest clubs are watching.
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