FIFA World Cup Day 16 Results And Highlights: Portugal Held, Lionel Messi Shatters Another Record

Day 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 produced some expected results, while a few others left the football world scratching its head. Croatia bounced back after early hiccups in the tournament to beat a resolute Ghana side 2-1 to qualify for the Round of 32. Panama were no match for Harry Kane-led England while DR Congo continued their fairytale run, with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan. Portugal, surprisingly, ended the group stage as runners-up in Group K after a goalless draw against Colombia. Argentina, on the other hand, smashed Jordan despite Lionel Messi starting on the bench.

Croatia 2-1 Ghana

Croatia earned a spot in the World Cup knockout round, getting goals from Nikola Vlasic and Luka Sucic to beat Ghana 2-1 on Saturday. Ghana had already clinched a spot in the round of 32 for the first time since 2010.

Vlasic headed home Luka Modric's corner in the 83rd minute to score the winner and put Croatia back in contention after it finished third in 2022. The win means Croatia finished second behind England in Group L, with Ghana third.

Petar Sucic's goal in Croatia vs Ghana pic.twitter.com/4aBEoH86MO

— Sports on Predict (@predictdotsport) June 27, 2026

Panama 0-2 England

With supporters' red-and-white Cross of St. George signs circling the field on an afternoon of sporadic rain, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scored early in the second half for a 2-0 win over Panama on Saturday. England earned first place in its group and a more favorable knockout phase bracket.

The Three Lions even wore the red jerseys made famous when England beat Germany for its only title in 1966, a sartorial similarity connecting north Jersey and that famous day in north London.

Harry Kane's goal in England vs Panama.

FIFA World Cup https://t.co/IcYCvnZz6l pic.twitter.com/vwK8jtDrMM

— Curio George (@Curio__G) June 27, 2026

Colombia 0-0 Portugal

Colombia finished the World Cup 's opening round as the Group K winner after playing Portugal to a scoreless draw Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium in front of an electric crowd of supporters, the majority of whom were clad in Colombia's bright yellow jerseys.

It was another lacklustre show for Cristiano Ronaldo in front of the goal as he failed to inspire the Portugal team, for the second time in three matches.

Ronaldo tried the bicycle kick vs Columbia pic.twitter.com/p62lfhMMvA

— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) June 28, 2026

DR Congo 3-1 Uzbekistan

Africa had a historic 10 nations qualify for the 2026 World Cup. And now, following Congo's 3-1 defeat of Uzbekistan on Saturday night, eight are officially headed to the knockout stage.

Two second-half goals from Yoane Wissa and one from Fiston Mayele sealed a dramatic comeback win and saw Congo join Cape Verde as another surprise qualifier for the next round.

El festejo de los jugadores del Congo por la victoria y clasificación a los 16vos de final del Mundial 2026 pic.twitter.com/j3lA4ifY6O

— Luis Ernesto Tricampeon (@LuisErnestoP95) June 28, 2026

Algeria 3-3 Austria

Austria and Algeria drew 3-3 on Saturday to both move into the last 32 of the World Cup in a result that means Iran are eliminated in the group phase.

The Austrians equalised six minutes into added time through Sasa Kalajdzic to save their World Cup skins, but the Iranians can no longer be one of the best third-placed teams and go out.

THE ALGERIAN FANS ERUPT.

Rafik Belghali finds the equalizer for Algeria, making it 1-1 against Austria.#FIFAWorldCup #Algeria #Austria #WorldCup #KansasCity pic.twitter.com/qVgPnr9uhf

— Taylor Burr (@TaylorBurr10) June 28, 2026

Jordan 1-3 Argentina

Giovani Lo Celso became the first Argentine player other than Lionel Messi to score in this World Cup as the defending champions finished the group stage with a three-game sweep after a 3-1 victory over Jordan on Saturday night.

Lo Celso, in his first World Cup start, put Argentina ahead to stay when he scored on a direct free kick in the 19th minute. Messi added one of his own after entering the game in the second half, and the top scorer in World Cup history extended his mark to 19 goals.

WHAT A FREEKICK GOAL MESSI https://t.co/HLd0bzI0Ae pic.twitter.com/kfULFKLScI

— m 🇧🇷🇪🇸🇦🇷 (@pedrizard) June 28, 2026

Messi, the leader in this tournament with six goals, was among nine Argentina starters changed from the previous game since Group J was already clinched before the match. He entered in the 60th minute, three days after his 39th birthday, and in the same stadium where he broke the scoring mark last Monday, and scored in the 80th minute.

With AP Inputs

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Topics mentioned in this article

Argentina Portugal Algeria Austria Colombia Ghana England DR Congo IR Iran Jordan Uzbekistan Panama Croatia Messi Ronaldo 2026 FIFA World Cup Football