Portugal beat Croatia late to set up World Cup clash with Spain

Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 at Toronto Stadium, also known as BMO Field, in a chaotic World Cup Round of 32 match that ended with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonçalo Ramos deciding it after VAR twice turned the finish upside down. Ivan Perišić put Croatia ahead early in the second half, Ronaldo equalised from the penalty spot in the 68th minute after a video review, and Ramos headed the winner four minutes into stoppage time.

The result sent Portugal into a last-16 meeting with Spain on Monday, July 6, and raised the same question that will follow them into that Iberian clash: was this the kind of survival that marks a champion, or the kind of looseness Spain will punish? Portugal did not control the night for long stretches. Croatia’s goal, the late disallowed equaliser from Joško Gvardiol and several offside calls made the second half feel more like a test of nerve than a display of authority.

Ronaldo’s penalty mattered beyond the scoreboard. It was the 41-year-old’s first World Cup knockout-stage goal, and it made him the oldest player to score in a World Cup knockout match. For a player whose tournament legacy had long been built on group-stage production and knockout disappointments, the moment was a rare box ticked at the highest level. Yet even that landmark did not bring calm for Portugal, because the match still swung back toward Croatia before Ramos intervened.

Portugal’s finishing was ruthless when it finally needed to be. Ronaldo converted the one clear chance given to him from 12 yards, and substitute Ramos turned a late opening into the decisive goal. That kind of efficiency can travel in knockout football, especially against Spain, but it also masked how many attacking sequences broke down before the final pass or shot. The repeated offside calls underscored that Portugal were often forcing the issue rather than dictating it.

Defensively, Portugal left themselves exposed too often. Perišić found the opener for Croatia shortly after the break, and Gvardiol’s disallowed equaliser came from a phase in which Croatia had pushed Portugal deep again. Luka Modrić, 40, and Ronaldo, 41, went head to head in what is likely to have been Modrić’s final World Cup appearance. Portugal advanced, but the path to Spain arrives with both the evidence of championship resilience and the warning that a stronger opponent may not be rescued by late drama.