Portugal vs Croatia — Ronaldo's World Cup Reckoning

Ronaldo has never scored in a World Cup knockout. Portugal look flat, Croatia look ready. Our prediction, upset call and tip inside.

Two World Cup nights, two African heartbreaks. 

Ivory Coast fell to Norway, Senegal went out to Belgium on a penalty half the continent is still arguing about, and Morocco are once again the last African side standing. 

Today, only Algeria carry the flag and they carry it the way they do everything, on the edge of a cliff.

But the headline belongs to two men who simply refuse to leave. 

Ronaldo and Modric, both the wrong side of 40, meet in Toronto with a single knockout ticket between them. 

Spain get their campaign going against Austria's kamikaze press, and Switzerland take on an Algeria side that treats defending as a lifestyle choice. 

Let's get into it.

Ronaldo has never scored in a World Cup knockout game. 

Forty-one is a strange age to start looking for the first.

Spain vs Austria — Round of 32 — Los Angeles, 8pm (UK)

Spain are the most complete side left in this half of the draw and they have the receipts: 33 games unbeaten and not a single goal conceded across the group stage. 

Austria's whole plan is to press you into a mistake, which is brave against the best possession team on the planet and also how you end up chasing Pedri's shadow for 90 minutes. 

It nearly cost them against Algeria, when they threw away two leads before scraping through and Arnautovic, their one focal point, is carrying a knock that has limited him to half-hours.

Prediction: Spain 2-0 Austria.

Tip: Spain to win — banker of the day. A defence that has not been breached all tournament against a press that leaves space in behind; this is as clean as the card gets.

Place this bet on 1xBet

Portugal vs Croatia — Round of 32 — Toronto, 12am (UK, Fri)

This is the one everyone circled, and not because it is good. It is because it is the end of something. 

Ronaldo and Modric, two old Real Madrid ghosts, both 40-plus, both quite possibly playing their last World Cup match, both desperate for one more dance. 

Football does love a farewell it can charge admission for.

Here is the uncomfortable truth for Portugal: on paper they have the better squad, with the best midfield trio in the tournament in Vitinha, Joao Neves and Bruno Fernandes. 

In practice, they have been dull, a flat draw with DR Congo, a goalless one with Colombia, and one 5-0 against Uzbekistan that flattered everybody. The problem sits up top. 

Roberto Martinez will not bench Ronaldo, and when Ronaldo does not press, Portugal effectively play with ten men. 

Martinez has wasted a golden generation before. He looks capable of doing it again.

Croatia are exactly the wrong opponent for a side that wants an easy night. 

They got here the hard way, hammered 4-2 by England, then grinding out wins over Panama and Ghana but this is a team built for knockout football. 

They put Brazil out in 2022. 

Modric, at 40, is still the metronome.

Kovacic still carries the ball through pressure.

And their whole game is to slow you down, foul cleverly and drag you into the kind of scrappy, patient fight that Portugal have not shown the stomach for.

The bookies make Portugal slight favourites. 

The eye test and the numbers say otherwise. 

If this goes to extra time and penalties and it feels like it will.

I am not backing Ronaldo and Martinez to be the ones holding their nerve.

Prediction: Portugal 1-1 Croatia, Croatia to qualify on penalties.

Tip: Croatia to qualify — upset special. Ronaldo has never scored in a World Cup knockout and Portugal have been toothless; Croatia are cold-blooded operators at this stage, and the value is on them going through.

Place this bet on 1xBet

Switzerland vs Algeria — Round of 32 — Vancouver, 4am (UK, Fri)

Africa's last hope today is also the most chaotic team in the tournament. 

Algeria have not played a quiet game yet, they blew a late lead to draw 3-3 with Austria, needed a comeback to beat Jordan, and generally defend like the concept is new to them. 

But Riyad Mahrez can still win a match on his own, and there is a lovely subplot.

Their coach, Vladimir Petkovic, spent seven years managing Switzerland, so he knows exactly where the bodies are buried. 

Switzerland are the calmer, better-drilled side and have quietly grown into the tournament but calm has a habit of getting dragged into Algeria's madness.

Prediction: Switzerland 2-1 Algeria.

Tip: Both teams to score. Algeria cannot stop scoring or conceding, and Switzerland have the quality through Embolo to trade blows; goals at both ends look the smart play.

Back this tip on AsianConnect

Back any of these? Tell me what you're rolling with today.