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Day 17 at World Cup 2022: Portugal sends Switzerland out in style; Morocco beats Spain on penalties

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There were two spots still up for grabs in the World Cup quarterfinals, with the tournament's later stages shaping up nicely. In other words, get your popcorn ready for some entertaining games moving forward!

Up first in the final Round of 16 games, Morocco faced Spain in what was a tense match before Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal played against Switzerland afterward.

In case you missed it yesterday, Brazil danced its way past South Korea, while Croatia edged Japan on penalties to create a heavyweight quarterfinals group so far.

Here is what you need to know from Day 17 in Qatar.

PORTUGAL VS. SWITZERLAND

Full match report

Portugal ran rampant against Switzerland, winning 6-1, even with main man Cristiano Ronaldo starting on the bench after his reaction to being substituted off in Portugal's last game.

It was a consistent 45 minutes of action in the first half with both teams finding their tempos early but Portugal clicked together better than Switzerland and played some silky soccer.

Ronaldo's replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick while Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro and Rafael Leao added other goals.

Switzerland did, however, erase any clean sheet hopes when Manuel Akanji scored a consolation goal. 

MOROCCO VS. SPAIN

Full match report

Morocco is the latest team to book its spot in the quarterfinals after beating Spain on penalties following a 0-0 result after 120 minutes of action. Spain missed all three of its spot-kicks.

The opening 45 minutes were a cagey affair, with Morocco’s pacey counter-attacks keeping Spain alert, while the Europeans dominated possession of the ball in the first half.

Both Achraf Hakimi and Marco Asensio were stand-out players for their respective sides while Nayef Aguerd had the best chance to break the deadlock for Morocco but his header went over the bar.

In the second half, the tense atmosphere on the pitch continued. Alvaro Morata and Nico Williams threatened for Spain, who looked the better of the two teams, but Morocco's defence stood strong for 120 minutes. Spain's Pablo Sarabia also hit the post in the dying seconds.

LATEST NEWS

There has been lots of Ronaldo talk in the news the last few weeks after his explosive Piers Morgan interview led to a departure from Manchester United, and on Tuesday, reports claimed the Portugal captain is not moving to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassar.

In case you missed it, Canadian midfielder Ismael Kone completed a move to Watford in England, becoming the latest national team player to confirm a club transfer after defender Alistair Johnston.

On Monday, Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic was unstoppable during the penalty shootout and his heroics helped the Europeans secure a spot in the next round over Japan.

LOOKING AHEAD

There’s a break in the action moving forward, as the quarterfinals don’t begin until Friday.

Up first will be Croatia against Brazil at 10 a.m. EST before the Netherlands take on Lionel Messi’s Argentina at 2 p.m. EST.

Watch the matches live on CTV and TSN

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