Portugal edges Croatia with late winner, Ronaldo scores knockout goal

Portugal ended Croatia’s World Cup run with a 2-1 victory in the round of 32 at Toronto Stadium, where Gonçalo Ramos scored in stoppage time and Cristiano Ronaldo delivered the first knockout-stage goal of his World Cup career. The result sent Portugal into the last 16 against Spain and left Croatia staring at the work ahead after one of its most painful exits in recent memory.

The match swung on late drama. A Croatian equalizer was ruled out for offside after VAR reviewed the sequence and determined that Igor Matanovic had touched the ball in the buildup. Matanovic, who had been active in attack and missed at least one clear chance, later said the defeat would be hard to absorb but that Croatia could take the blow, come back and return stronger.

For Croatia, the loss did more than end a single tournament. It stopped the country from chasing a third straight World Cup semifinal, a run that began with runner-up finishes in 2018 and a third-place finish in 2022. Instead of extending that elite standard, Croatia left Toronto having been pushed out in a first-ever World Cup meeting with Portugal, a matchup shaped as much by present urgency as by the long international careers of Luka Modrić and Ronaldo.

That veteran weight mattered throughout the night. UEFA had entered the tournament describing Croatia as a side that finished second in Group L under Zlatko Dalić, captained by Modrić, and built to compete again on the biggest stage. In Toronto, though, the margin between experience and transition was exposed. Ronaldo still found a decisive moment in the knockout rounds, while Croatia’s final push was undone by the offside call and Ramos’s late finish.

Matanovic’s words pointed beyond the final whistle. Croatia’s next cycle will depend on whether Dalić can blend Modrić’s fading generation with younger attackers and midfielders who can carry the same level of control and composure under pressure. The team also needs sharper finishing in matches like this, where one missed chance, one VAR review and one late concession were enough to end the campaign.