Portugal went into the memory of football with a bang, when Cristiano Ronaldo capped off his 1.00 record in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the opener and then substituted Gonçalo Ramos booked them for the round of 16 with the winner in stoppage time to a 2-1 victory.
Croatia carved a way into the score early in the second half to pave the way after beating Portugal side for so long they were forced to take the lead when Ivan Perišić sent a pass through the labyrinth, getting goalkeeper Marica Materic foiled before the offside mark.
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After effectively denied much in the opening half, Croatia broke the deadlock early in the second half, on a pass into the labyrinth that got goalkeeper Marica Materic dislodged but not entirely before the offside line.
And then things went Ronaldo’s way in Croatia as he silenced his critics with a 68th-minute penalty at Portugal, luring the Portuguese scatter off with a national record drought into the record books of world class knockouts.
The Portuguese bench and fans erupted in joy when they had a final second when the Portuguese goalkeeper was handed a header from a clever cross from Rafael Leão and Ramos hurled it home with some power.
It took a long VAR that boasted minutes later to see offside call an equalizer minutes into the contest, but Joško Gvardiol scored Croatians’ only goal in a heartbreaking way.
The win was another achievement for the 41-year-old Ronaldo, who reached the record of the oldest player to score in a knockout stage game in a FIFA tournament.
On the anniversary of his death, the Portugal captain delivered a grateful speech, wearing a special shirt in his memory, as he remembered and paid his respects to his former international teammate, Diogo Jota.
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Head Coach Roberto Martínez was impressed with how Portugal held out, despite their share of goose-flesh moments in the manner of a fierce fight yet one of the most of the tournament, and with VAR’s plenty of interruptions.
There was also a symbolic dimension to the clash, baring in mind that it would most probably be played by two of Ronaldo’s and Modrić’s generation that are equally decorated thanks to their time at the World Cup.
Portugal roll to a Round of 16 encounter with equally imposing neighbours Spain on July 6, where the winner will advance to a semi-final – with Belgium or the United States.
