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Portugal defeats Croatia 2-1 to advance to World Cup last 16, will face Spain
via Punch Nigeria3 min read
Portugal secured a 2-1 victory over Croatia to reach the World Cup last 16, setting up a match against European champions Spain. Goncalo Ramos scored the winning goal for Portugal in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Earlier, Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, converted a 68th-minute penalty to equalize after Ivan Perisic had given Croatia the lead in the 53rd minute. Croatia had a late equalizer disallowed for offside after a VAR review. Ronaldo's penalty made him the oldest player to score in a World Cup knockout match. Following the win, Ronaldo paid tribute to his late teammate Diogo Jota, who died almost a year ago. Meanwhile, Spain advanced to the last 16 with a 3-0 win over Austria, with two goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and one from Pedro Porro. Spain's coach, Luis de la Fuente, expressed satisfaction with his team's performance, stating they were close to perfection. The article also notes that Algeria will play Switzerland, aiming to avoid elimination, with only Morocco having advanced among African teams to the last 16.
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The 2026 FIFA World Cup has seen numerous historic milestones, with players, teams, and coaches setting new records, some recognized by Guinness World Records. The tournament became the biggest in World Cup history, drawing 4.64 million fans across 72 matches in the group stage. Lionel Messi became the first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches and the tournament鈥檚 all-time leading scorer with 19 goals. At 38 years, 357 days, Messi also became the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick. Cristiano Ronaldo became Portugal鈥檚 all-time leading World Cup scorer with 10 goals and the only player to score in six World Cup editions. Kylian Mbappe became France and Europe鈥檚 all-time leading World Cup scorer with 18 goals, while Harry Kane became England鈥檚 all-time leading World Cup scorer with 11 goals. Ismael Saibari became the first African player to score in three consecutive World Cup matches, and Kevin Pina scored Cabo Verde鈥檚 first-ever World Cup goal. A record nine African teams progressed to the knockout stage. Cabo Verde, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, DR Congo, C么te d鈥橧voire, Egypt, and South Africa reached the knockout stage for the first time. Dick Advocaat became the oldest coach in World Cup history at 78 years, 271 days, and Hugo Broos became the oldest coach to win a World Cup match at 74 years, 75 days. Spain goalkeeper Unai Sim贸n set a new Guinness World Record for the longest World Cup clean-sheet streak, going 519 minutes without conceding a
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