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Havana, July 3 (RHC) – Spain and Portugal made the entire Iberian Peninsula celebrate by qualifying for the round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, the United States, and Canada, an objective also achieved by Switzerland.
Spain relied on goals from Mikel Oyarzabal (36th and 89th minutes) and Pedro Porro (66th) to eliminate Austria in Los Angeles.
It was probably the best performance of the current European champions in the tournament, as up to that point they had only shown glimpses of their quality.
Meanwhile, in Toronto, Cristiano Ronaldo won the duel against Luka Modric, as Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1. Ronaldo scored a penalty in the 68th minute after having another goal disallowed for offside.
While no longer the brilliance they displayed in their glory days with Real Madrid, both led their respective teams, and in the case of the Portuguese star, he will be able to continue doing so for at least one more match.
The other veteran of countless battles for the Balkan nation, Ivan Perisic, had opened the scoring in the 53rd minute, but a golden header from Gonçalo Ramos (90+4) prevented extra time.
Finally, Switzerland’s experience proved decisive against Algeria in Vancouver, securing a 2-0 victory with goals from Breel Embolo (11) and Dan Ndoye (46).
