Spain will try to win their first knockout match at a World Cup since capturing the 2010 title when they face an Austrian side that should be unmoved by high-quality European opposition.

Spain entered the tournament as one of the oddsmakers’ favorites after winning the 2024 European Championships. They carry a record 34-match unbeaten run in competitive fixtures into the knockout phase.

Even so, there is a sense that two of Spain’s three group stage performances failed to meet expectations. In their opener, they settled for a 0-0 draw against tournament debutants Cape Verde. In the finale, a mistake from Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera was the difference in Spain’s 1-0 win to top the group.

In that context, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente said it’s understandable his nation’s fans may be less than impressed.

“It would be strange if they didn’t make any demands from us,” de la Fuente said via an interpreter. “But we are very self-demanding. We like to compete. We are sportsmen and we love to improve day by day.”

The best news from that group finale for Spain may have been Lamine Yamal playing 76 minutes. That was the longest outing from the prodigious 18-year-old since he went the full 90 in the second leg of FC Barcelona’s UEFA Champions League semifinal defeat to Atletico Madrid in April.

Yamal suffered a hamstring tear in his next appearance on April 22, and has been eased back into national team action over the tournament — scoring the opener in Spain’s 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia in their middle group game.

Meanwhile, de la Fuente said while winger Nico Williams will miss the match following a tackle suffered against Uruguay, he’s hopeful the new issue is minor and that the wide man could return if Spain progress.

Austria will be seeking their first knockout-phase victory in a major tournament after losing in the round of 16 in the 2020 and 2024 European Championships. Austria progressed to a second group phase in the 1982 World Cup in Spain.

Austria have proven capable of handling Europe’s most powerful sides during those Euro appearances, in 2020 finishing second in a group that included the Netherlands and Ukraine, and in 2024 topping a foursome that included the Netherlands and France.

They haven’t faced the Spaniards since a 2009 friendly. Their last win over them came way back in 1990 in another friendly fixture.

“Of course, we know that the Spanish are very secure on the ball and have outstanding individual players,” said Austria captain Florian Grillitsch via a translation. “I think we have to be a nuisance, counter them with our intensity and our pressing. We need to keep their forwards, their one-on-one players, in check as best we can and then wait for our opportunities.”

Manager Ralf Rangnick’s squad required a dramatic 3-3 draw with Algeria to reach the next phase, with Sasa Kalajdzic’s header in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time cancelling Riyad Mahrez’s go-ahead strike minutes earlier.

That followed a 2-0 loss to Lionel Messi and Argentina after opening the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Jordan.

–Field Level Media

Now that they finally have a win this season, the Calgary Stampeders can get back to .500 on Thursday night when they host the Toronto Argonauts.

But their defense might need to perform better than it did on Saturday in a 41-33 victory over the B.C. Lions in Kelowna, B.C. Calgary avenged last November’s playoff loss to B.C. by controlling both sides of the ball and building a 38-17 fourth-quarter lead before a couple of late Lions touchdowns made the game closer.

The uneven ending didn’t thrill defensive lineman Folarin Orimolade.

“We needed one,” he said. “Sometimes, the hardest one to get (is) the first one. We did enough to win and the most important thing is getting in the win column. But I think we finished the game poorly.”

The Stamps (1-2) played well until the endgame. Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns, while the defense sacked Nathan Rourke four times. Tyreik McAllister returned a punt 90 yards in the fourth quarter for a game-sealing touchdown.

They might need four quarters of consistency instead of three against Toronto (2-1), which logged a statement win Friday night with a 40-34 decision in Saskatchewan. Chad Kelly threw for 321 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, including one on the ground.

In three games, Kelly has thrown for 1,190 yards and a league-high nine touchdowns. Calgary coach Dave Dickenson hopes his defense can force some mistakes from Kelly, who tossed four interceptions two weeks ago in Ottawa.

“I’d like to see us get as many turnovers as possible,” Dickenson said.

The Argos’ defense gave up a lot of yardage, but did make the necessary plays to keep the Roughriders in check. One was the interception by Tarvarus McFadden in the end zone that turned a potential Saskatchewan touchdown into a field goal drive — a 10-point swing that might have made the difference.

“We can get a lot better,” McFadden said of a defense yielding 31.7 ppg. “We’ve got a lot more to do.”

–Field Level Media

Harry Kane scored two goals after the 70th minute to pull England out of a funk and lift the Three Lions to a 2-1 defeat of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the World Cup round of 32 on Wednesday afternoon in Atlanta.

England played from behind most of the match as Brian Cipenga put DR Congo ahead with a seventh-minute goal before Kane found the equalizer on a headed goal in the 75th minute.

Eleven minutes later, Kane scored his 13th career World Cup goal — three more than any other England player — taking a pass at the top of the penalty box and unleashing a magnificent running shot into the upper-right corner of the net.

The game-winner sets England up for a round of 16 clash vs. Mexico at Mexico City on Sunday.

Kane’s second goal of the match and fifth of this year’s tournament, off an assist from Anthony Gordon, moved him into a tie for third with Norway’s Erling Haaland on the Golden Boot leaderboard, one behind Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappe.

The Wednesday match was the first time since the 1966 World Cup championship that England won a World Cup finals match after conceding first, improving their record in such situations to 2-17-5.

DR Congo took its early lead when Cipenga found the net for his first international goal. Chancel Mbemba uncorked a lofted pass that bounced in the box past a pair of players. Cipenga was wide open and ripped a shot past Jordan Pickford inside the near post.

England responded with a rush of chances in pursuit of the tying goal. DR Congo keeper Lionel Mpasi (five saves) stood on his head to keep the Leopards ahead at the break.

He made a pair of reflex saves on close-range Jude Bellingham headers and another in the closing seconds of the half on a proximity rocket of a shot from Kane.

He also got help in the 35th minute from defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who cleared Marcus Rashford’s shot off the line attacking an open net.

DR Congo nearly made it 2-0 in the 42nd minute when Yoane Wissa hit the post off a pinpoint cross. Immediately after, Kane was denied a penalty appeal after he appeared to be brought down by Mpasi in the box.

England managed just one shot on goal in the second half until Kane’s first goal.

DR Congo’s final chance, a close-range free kick from Wissa in the sixth minute of stoppage time, floated just over the bar.

–Field Level Media