RecapFriday, July 3

Spain Stroll, Portugal Survive, Switzerland Seal — The Round of 32 Goes to Form

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A near-perfect night for the favourites as Spain dismantled Austria in style, Portugal edged past Croatia in a nervy thriller, and Switzerland quietly despatched Algeria to book their place in the last sixteen.

The pool went 100% on the right side of all three results — a flawless collective read — but only 7 of you nailed Spain's exact 3-0 scoreline, 20 hit Portugal's 2-1, and 8 got Switzerland's 2-0, so the points were there for the taking if your gut matched your head.

La Roja Roll: Spain 3-0 Austria

Seventy of 71 poolers backed Spain, and the one brave Austria soul can now update their bracket accordingly. The reigning European champions were utterly ruthless, turning the round of 32 into something closer to a training exercise. Yamal and Nico Williams terrorised the Austrian flanks from the first whistle — the kind of width that makes defenders age visibly in real time — while Morata and Pedri pulled the strings through the middle with the sort of unhurried elegance that only arrives when a team genuinely believes the trophy is already theirs. Austria, to their credit, were organised and never humiliated in the truest sense, but Spain's pressing was suffocating and the scoreline 3-0 flatters nobody in green and white. As heavy pre-match favourites (clear market favourites across all major books), this was expectation meeting reality on schedule. The pool's most popular call was 2-0 with 32 picks — close in spirit, but only 7 of you got the exact 3-0, which means those seven are feeling rather smug right now.

Cristiano's Office Hours: Portugal 2-1 Croatia

Portugal were favourites, 57 of 71 in the pool backed them, and 20 of you had the exact 2-1 — a tidy night if you were among that group. But Croatia, as they always do, made Portugal earn every single centimetre of this. The Checkered Ones conjured one of those swirling midfield performances that feels like footballing witchcraft — Modric, ageless and imperious, conducting at his usual altitude — and Portugal were forced to dig deep. Ronaldo, playing as if each tournament could be his last (a sentence that has been true for about eight years now), found the net to give Portugal breathing room, though Croatia pulled one back to set up a genuinely uncomfortable final stretch. In the end Portugal's quality told, but this was less a procession and more a white-knuckle ride. Croatia leave with their heads held high; Portugal advance knowing the next round will demand more. The 14 Croatia backers in the pool are out, but they saw more drama for their investment than most.

Swiss Precision: Switzerland 2-0 Algeria

The late kick-off — or very early morning, depending on your timezone and life choices — produced the cleanest result of the evening. Switzerland, steady and dependable as a chronometer, kept Algeria at arm's length throughout and goals either side of half-time made the scoreline emphatic. Granit Xhaka marshalled the midfield with his customary authority, and Shaqiri's movement in the final third was a constant headache for the Algerian defence. Algeria had genuine quality and 15 pool members backed them, which reflects real belief in their group-stage form, but the Swiss defensive structure was simply too organised to breach. The most popular pool pick was 1-0 with 18 votes — Switzerland winning cleanly was the consensus, even if the actual margin was slightly more comfortable. Only 8 nailed the exact 2-0, but 56 of 71 got the outcome right. The Desert Warriors exit with dignity; the Swiss march on.

Pool Scoreboard: A Perfect Night, But Points Left on the Pitch

A 100% collective accuracy rate on match outcomes is genuinely rare — all 71 players called at least one result right, and the pool as a whole went three-for-three directionally. The real separation today came on the scoreline predictions: 20 exact scores on Portugal's 2-1 is the standout — nearly one in three Portugal-backers nailed it — while Spain's 3-0 was trickier than anticipated (only 7 correct) and Switzerland's 2-0 sits in the middle at 8. If you were one of the 35 who had both Spain exactly wrong and missed the Switzerland scoreline, today felt better than it was. Check your standings: the gap between a good day and a great one was a single goal in Seville.

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