The FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 action continued on Thursday evening, as Portugal, Spain and Switzerland all sealed their places into the next round with wins over their respective opponents.

Amid all the drama that took place, historic individual milestones were set, while high-stakes VAR decisions also impacted the fate of different teams.

Striver.Football recaps all the action that took place on matchday 23 of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026:

Spain 3-0 Austria: La Roja Sizzles in Los Angeles

Tournament favorites Spain kicked off their knockout run with a dazzling, clinical victory against Austria at the Inglewood Stadium in Los Angeles.

Real Sociedad forward Mikel Oyarzabal spearheaded the fluid Spanish attack, striking a crucial brace by opening the scoring in the first half and adding a late insurance goal.

The dominant offensive display was perfectly matched by defensive resilience. Tottenham defender Pedro Porro netted his first international goal with a superb header arriving from a set-piece. 

Most impressively, goalkeeper Unai Simon and his backline secured another shutout, preserving the longest active clean sheet streak in World Cup history. The victory comfortably sends Spain into the next stage as heavy title contenders.

Portugal 2-1 Croatia: Late Drama and Ronaldo's Milestone in Toronto

The marquee matchup of the day turned into an absolute thriller at the Toronto Stadium, where Portugal survived a frantic finish to edge Croatia. 

Following a scoreless opening half defined by high physical intensity and tactical chess, the match exploded into life when Cristiano Ronaldo won and smashed home a heavy penalty, marking his first-ever goal in a World Cup knockout stage match.

The final whistle, however, required immense survival. Croatia fought back to equalize shortly after the breakthrough to set up a tense finale, but Goncalo Ramos stepped up as the hero by finding space in the penalty box to nod home a brilliant winner. 

There was still room for heartbreak in stoppage time when Josko Gvardiol bundled a ball into the net for a dramatic Croatia equalizer. Following a tense VAR review, the goal was overturned for offside, sealing the win for Portugal and likely concluding the legendary World Cup career of 40-year-old Luka Modric.

Switzerland 2-0 Algeria: Swiss Precision Dictates Vancouver

The nightcap at BC Place Vancouver was a tactical masterclass as Switzerland blanked Algeria to keep their tournament dreams alive.

Striker Breel Embolo caught the Algerian defense completely sleeping early in the first half after being set up by Johan Manzambi, and then striking a quick breakthrough goal that forced the North Africans to abandon their defensive shape.

Winger Dan Ndoye doubled the cushion before the half-time whistle, giving the Swiss total control of the tempo. In the second half, coach Murat Yakin's side expertly shifted their tactical formations to trap Algeria's wide outlets and safely see out the clean sheet, setting up a highly anticipated Round of 16 clash against either Colombia or Ghana.

Matchday 23 By The Numbers

5 -The number of consecutive clean sheets recorded by Spain in tournament play, establishing the longest active shutout streak in World Cup history.

1 -The number of World Cup knockout stage goals scored by Cristiano Ronaldo across his legendary international career following his decisive penalty against Croatia.

10 -The number of consecutive matches Switzerland has gone unbeaten across all competitive platforms after successfully shutting down Algeria in Vancouver.

40 -The age of Croatian maestro Luka Modrić, whose iconic World Cup career likely came to a heartbreaking end following a late stoppage-time VAR intervention.