Portugal left it late to seal a dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia, overturning a second-half deficit with two Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired moments before Gonçalo Ramos’ stoppage-time winner secured a place in the Round of 16, where Spain await.
After a tightly contested and goalless first half, Croatia emerged from the break with renewed purpose and broke the deadlock with their first shot on target of the match. Veteran winger Ivan Perišić pounced on a loose ball inside the Portugal penalty area in the 53rd minute, finishing clinically to hand Croatia a 1-0 lead. The strike marked Perišić’s seventh FIFA World Cup goal of his illustrious career.
Croatia nearly doubled their advantage just three minutes later when Nikola Vlašić found the back of the net, but celebrations were cut short after the assistant referee flagged for offside.
Despite falling behind, Portugal continued to dominate possession and came close to restoring parity in the 58th minute when Rafael Leão curled a superb effort against the post.
Cristiano Ronaldo thought he had equalised in the 60th minute after calmly finishing beyond the Croatian goalkeeper, but the goal was also ruled out for offside.
Portugal’s persistence finally paid off moments later when Renato Veiga was pulled down inside the penalty area while attempting to meet a corner. The referee pointed to the spot, and Ronaldo made no mistake from 12 yards in the 68th minute, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to level the contest at 1-1.
Croatia refused to sit back and almost regained the lead in the 74th minute. Mateo Kovačić danced past several defenders before unleashing a powerful strike that crashed against the foot of the post.
The drama continued in the 80th minute when Petar Sučić found the net, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside, keeping the scores level.
With extra time looming, Portugal launched one final assault. Their pressure was rewarded deep into stoppage time when Rafael Leão delivered a pinpoint cross into the box, where Gonçalo Ramos rose highest to head home the decisive goal in the 90+4th minute.
Croatia had a moment of their own when they thought they had equalized in 90+12th minute but the attempt was flagged offside after a VAR review.
The dramatic comeback sends Portugal into the Round of 16, where they will face Spain in what promises to be one of the standout ties of the tournament.
