“Swift” Switzerland Win, Egypt’s Enthralling Penalties, Argentine Survives A Formidable Cape Verde and Colombia Captivating Victory : An Exclusive Round-Up of the World Cup 2026 : Round of 32….

Vonziha and Messi Pictured Together

Switzerland, Egypt, Argentina and Colombia takes the W in the final round of 32 fixtures but not without each country going through their own one battle after another. Let me explain….

Switzerland will remain in Vancouver to face the winner of Colombia and Ghana in the round of 16 on Tuesday, July 7.

Switzerland’s Swift Victory against Algeria

Switzerland went in front at 10 minutes, when Johan Manzambi made a run down the left before cutting the ball back low, allowing Breel Embolo to score from close range. .[72] Dan Ndoye made it 2–0 46 seconds into the second-half, with a right footed finish to the left of the net from just inside the penalty area, after the ball broke to him from a defensive clearance error.[73]

This was Switzerland’s first win in the knockout stages since 1938. They eliminated Algeria and moved on to the round of 16 to face Colombia

Egypt’s Enthralling Round of Penalties against the Aussies

Egypt sink Australia in Penalties and Now Face a Strong Argentina

Although there were some intial concerns over Mohamed Salah’s fitness due to a hamstring injury, and Egypt coach Hossam Hassan would not commit to starting him in the game, but he was eventually cleared to be in the starting lineup.

Early in the first half, Egypt midfielder Emam Ashour headed into the Australia goal to put Egypt ahead. Australia struggled to create many clear cut chances, but were able to equalize via an own goal when Egypt player Mohamed Hany headed into his own net.

Late in extra time, goalkeeper Patrick Beach, who had started in all of Australia’s games in the tournament, was substituted off in favour of veteran goalkeeper Mathew Ryan. The substitution was surprising, since Beach had prevented the highest goal average than any other goalkeeper at the tournament.

Ryan was unable to save any of the penalties taken by Egypt, and Australian players Harry Souttar and Lucas Herrington both sent their kicks over the crossbar.

This sends Egypt into the Round of 16 where they will face [Spoilers for the next gobsmacking headline], tune in ya

ARGENTINA SURVIVES AN DEADLY ENCOUNTER WITH THE PEOPLE’S CHAMPIONS CAPO VERDE!!!

Capo Verde gives Argentina the biggest WC headache in the tournament, Argentina advances and face Egypt in the round of 16

I would like to first of all say congratulation to the Capo Verde Islands , a small island nation next to the southernmost tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsul with a population of only 500,000 people managed to go toe to toe with the Goliath team Argentina and favourites Lionel Messi and give the Argentine side a freaking run for their money . My full respect and love to fan-favourite goalkeeper Vozinha for his astounding performance throughout the cup.. Okay now I have to be diplomatic and just give the neutral view of the game.. Let me explain…

At 29 minutes, Argentine captain Lionel Messi made his run behind the Cape Verde defense, collecting the ball from a lofting pass sent by Lisandro Martínez before firing it home from close range across the near post. This marked Messi’s seventh goal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, giving Argentina a 1–0 lead at halftime.

Cape Verde found their equalizer through Deroy Duarte, when he had a touch on the inside of his right foot and sent it beyond Emiliano Martínez towards the far post. Vozinha had several powerful saves in stoppage time, sending the match into extra time.

Two minutes into extra time, Lisandro Martínez collected the ball from a corner kick, before sending it beyond Vozinha into the top corner, giving Argentina the lead. Less than a minute later, Sidny Lopes Cabral found the ball in the Argentinian half. Entering from the left side of the box, he curled it past the goalkeeper for another equalizer. Messi later delivered a corner kick in the Cape Verdean half at 113 minutes. The ball deflected off the head of Cristian Romero, and then off the arm of Diney Borges for an own goal.

With this win, Argentina progressed to the round of 16 to face Egypt [OOhh spoiler reveal], unfortunately eliminating Cape Verde who in my eyes and the World’s eyes are gonna be beloved and respected forever as the David who managed to scare and add pressure to the Goliath of the World Cup.

Colombia Collects a Win Against Ghana

Colombia collects a goal against Ghana, now faces the Swiss team in the Round of 16

The final spot in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ was decided in a tense, tactical battle at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, where Colombia secured a 1–0 victory over Ghana. Driven by early offensive pressure and a disciplined defensive structure, Néstor Lorenzo’s side successfully suffocated Ghana’s strategy. The win cements Colombia’s place among the tournament’s elite, while simultaneously ending the Black Stars’ World Cup campaign in a match defined by missed early opportunities and elite goalkeeping.

The decisive moment of the match arrived early in the fourteenth minute through a display of squad depth and quick execution. Following an early injury to starting forward Jhon Córdoba, substitute Luis Suárez made an immediate impact by delivering a precise cross from the right flank. Midfielder Jhon Arias met the delivery cleanly, slotting home what would prove to be the game’s solitary goal. While Colombia dominated possession and dictated the tempo for the remainder of the evening, Ghana’s Lawrence Ati-Zigi delivered a stellar performance in goal. Registering seven crucial saves — notably denying a powerful Johan Mojica header and a point-blank effort from Luis Díaz — Ati-Zigi single-handedly kept the African nation within striking distance.

Despite the narrow scoreline, Colombia’s defensive masterclass prevented any realistic hope of a Ghanaian comeback. The Black Stars threatened early when Thomas Partey sent a powerful long-range strike just wide in the opening minutes, but they failed to sustain that momentum. Ultimately, Ghana exited the tournament without registering a single shot on target, neutralized by Colombia’s relentless pressing. Even after a bold halftime tactical shift by Lorenzo to substitute iconic playmaker James Rodríguez, and having a 56th-minute Luis Díaz goal disallowed for a marginal offside, Colombia never wavered. With this victory, Colombia advances to face Switzerland in Vancouver.

This is part 4 of a 4-part exclusive coverage of the World Cup Round of 32….

Coming soon is my coverage of the Round of 16s of the World Cup…

(Shoutout to Wikipedia once again for helping me write breakdowns of the matches and the exact timing and scoring)