Portugal survive late Croatia scare to reach World Cup round of 16

Portugal needed 109 minutes and a VAR ruling to get past Croatia 2-1 in Toronto, with referee Espen Eskås finally bringing a chaotic World Cup round-of-32 match to a close after 10 minutes of added time had already been shown. The game swung twice late, first when Gonçalo Ramos headed home in the 94th minute and then when Croatia’s apparent equalizer was erased after review.

Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, had given Portugal the lead with a 68th-minute penalty, a strike that was described as his first goal in a World Cup knockout match. He later watched from the bench as Portugal were forced to absorb a late Croatian surge, with the match tightening as the clock moved deep into stoppage time in Toronto on Thursday, July 2, 2026.

The decisive scramble came in the 94th minute when Rafael Leão curled in a cross and Ramos rose to meet it, sending Portugal ahead again after Croatia had pushed forward in search of an equalizer. That goal did not end the tension. Croatia kept pressing, and Josko Gvardiol appeared to have rescued the match in the 103rd minute when he scored amid a crowded finish that briefly seemed to have dragged the contest back level.

VAR intervened almost immediately, and the goal was ruled out for offside. The disallowed finish left Croatia furious and heartbroken, while Portugal held on through the final minutes as Eskås let play run until the 109th minute before blowing for full time. The sequence of calls, the penalty, the stoppage-time header and the overturned equalizer turned the closing stretch into a decision-making battle as much as a football match.

Portugal’s victory sent them into the round of 16, where they were set to face Spain, and ended Croatia’s run in dramatic fashion. For Portugal, the result kept the tournament alive. For Croatia, it left a final image of frustration, with one late review and one late whistle defining a match that had already spilled far beyond its allotted 90 minutes.