Portugal precocious aft edging retired Croatia 2-1 successful a hard-fought match, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s squad volition present look European champion Spain connected Monday.
The spotlight present shifts to Lionel Messi‘s Argentina, which contiguous is looking to bring an extremity to Cape Verde’s singular World Cup run. Our NBC News squad will beryllium live-blogging the game, truthful travel articulation us!
World Cup Recap
Portugal precocious to the circular of 16 aft a chaotic 2-1 triumph against Croatia yesterday successful Toronto.
The crippled was tied 0-0 aft a beauteous uneventful archetypal half, but the 2nd fractional much than made up for it. Croatia struck first, with Ivan Perišić scoring successful the 53rd minute.
Soon after, Portugal drew a punishment footwear disconnected a country and Ronaldo coolly sent successful a goal, the archetypal clip he’s scored successful a World Cup knockout round.
The crippled remained tied into stoppage clip and seemed destined for other clip until Portugal sent a transverse into the container and Gonçalo Ramos headed successful the go-ahead extremity successful the 94th minute.
Croatia’s Josko Gvardiol nearly scored an equalizer astir 13 minutes into added time, but the extremity was taken distant for an offside telephone via replay review. This astir apt marked the past World Cup crippled for Croatia fable Luka Modrić, 40, portion Portugal’s prima Ronaldo survived to play different game.
Mateo Kovacic is consoled by Luka Modric of Croatia aft a 2-1 nonaccomplishment to Portugal astatine Toronto Stadium connected July 2, 2026.Patrick Smith / FIFA via Getty ImagesPortugal volition present play European champion Spain successful a star-studded clash successful Dallas connected Monday. The victor of that necktie volition look either the United States oregon Belgium successful a quarterfinal connected July 10.
In yesterday’s different games, 1 of the tourney favorites, Spain, eased past Austria 3-0 portion Switzerland won its archetypal knockout crippled since 1938 erstwhile it bushed Algeria 2-0.
World Cup Preview
Argentina’s World Cup clash with Cape Verde successful Miami has each the hallmarks of a David-vs.-Goliath contention — though this is 1 communicative that’s improbable to extremity successful a fairy-tale upset.
Led by surviving fable Messi, Argentina is the defending World Cup champion and has lifted soccer’s biggest prize 3 times.
Cape Verde, by contrast, is ranked 64th successful the satellite by FIFA, has a 40-year-old goalkeeper and is the lone squad to scope the circular of 32 without winning a match. Cape Verde precocious aft signaling a gully successful each 3 radical games, portion Argentina (ranked 2nd by FIFA) won each 3 of its matches, with Messi playing a starring role.
Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina celebrates scoring his team's 3rd extremity during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J lucifer betwixt Jordan and Argentina astatine Dallas Stadium connected June 27, 2026 successful Arlington, Texas.
Ryan Pierse / FIFA via Getty ImagesBut Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni urged his squad not to underestimate its opponent.
“We are not surprised, to beryllium honest,” Scaloni said. “They are a bully team. And they are not present by chance. We indispensable respect them. And that’s what we volition do.”
If Argentina does progress, it volition conscionable the victor of different of today’s contests, Australia vs. Egypt, played successful Dallas.
What We’re Watching
World Cup! All the games are connected Telemundo and Peacock, and each times are Eastern:
- 2 p.m.: Australia vs. Egypt
- 6 p.m.: Argentina vs. Cape Verde
- 9:30 p.m.: Colombia vs. Ghana
That’s it for now! We’ll beryllium backmost Monday.
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