Portugal booked their place in the World Cup last 16 after a tense 2-1 win over Croatia in Toronto on Thursday. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first knockout-stage goal at the tournament, and substitute Goncalo Ramos sealed the result with a stoppage-time header.

The breakthrough arrived in dramatic fashion after Croatia appeared to have forced extra time, only for a video assistant referee review to rule Josko Gvardiol offside in the 103rd minute.

Portugal will now face Spain in Dallas on Monday, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.

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Fortune favours the steadfast, or so it seemed

Croatia, runners-up in 2018 and third-place finishers in 2022, struck first through Ivan Perisic in the 53rd minute. He controlled a pass from Josip Stanisic and finished at the far post to give Croatia the lead.

Portugal had enjoyed more of the ball in the opening half but found it difficult to turn possession into clear chances, with Ronaldo unable to connect with an early Pedro Neto cross and later failing to make the most of a Joao Cancelo delivery.

The game then swung quickly after the restart as Croatia pressed forward, Portugal countered, and the tempo sharpened into a back-and-forth knockout battle that reflected the stakes.

Late drama settles a contest on a knife’s edge

Ronaldo leveled from the spot in the 68th minute after Renato Veiga was pulled down in the area by Nikola Vlasic, becoming the oldest player to score in a World Cup knockout match at 41.

It was also the first knockout-stage goal of Ronaldo’s World Cup career before he was substituted in the 81st minute by coach Roberto Martinez, leaving Portugal to finish the match without their captain on the pitch.

Ramos then provided the decisive intervention in the fourth minute of stoppage time, rising above the Croatia defense to head home and leave the Portuguese bench in celebration.

Ramos later said, “It’s difficult because it’s a game; if you don’t win, you go home,” and added, “But for me, especially, I love those types of moments, I love those types of games, I want to play every game like that, and I want to be in the big moment.”

The late goal left Croatia with little time to respond, though the drama was not over yet. In the 103rd minute, Croatia thought it had forced extra time when Josko Gvardiol turned in what appeared to be an equalizer, only for VAR to intervene and rule the goal offside after the ball had touched Igor Matanovic in the build-up.

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Beyond the scoreline, a moment to remember

The match carried added emotional weight for Portugal, taking place a day before the first anniversary of Diogo Jota’s death in a car crash.

After the final whistle, Ronaldo put on Jota’s No. 21 shirt. Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said there were “several beautiful symbols of power and energy and what Jota meant for the team,” adding, “He was someone who believed, and we have responsibility for Diogo, and we are going to keep doing this.”

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said, “We didn’t deserve this sort of finish,” and added, “It’s never easy when you concede a goal in the last minutes of the match, but we should have resolved the situation differently.”

FAQs

Q1: How did Portugal beat Croatia to reach the World Cup last 16?
Ans: Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 after Cristiano Ronaldo equalised from the penalty spot and Goncalo Ramos scored a stoppage-time winner.

Q2: Who will Portugal play in the World Cup last 16?
Ans: Portugal will face Spain in the World Cup last 16 in Dallas after defeating Croatia.