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Ontario: One football legend could be making his final FIFA World Cup appearance as Luka Modric's Croatia face Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in a blockbuster Round of 32 clash on Thursday. Former Real Madrid teammates and two of the greatest players of their generation now go head-to-head with a place in the Round of 16—and their World Cup dreams—on the line.
Follow our live coverage for minute-by-minute updates, goals, key moments, team news and video highlights from Toronto.
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34' From a Mendes blast to a Croatian counter!
Portugal works a short corner to Nuno Mendes, who unleashes a venomous strike from distance, but a solid Croatian block denies him. Budimir quickly cleans up the rebound and tries to spearhead a rapid counter-attack for the Vatreni, but the Portugal defense recovers brilliantly to strip the ball away.
29' Another miss by Ronaldo
Pedro Neto flashes down the right wing and delivers an absolute peach of a cross into the danger zone. It’s a beautifully whipped, dangerous ball that completely bypasses the Croatian centre-backs, begging for a finish. Ronaldo times his run and leaps high, but he just cannot make clean contact with the header! The ball skims past him and rolls harmlessly out of play.
28' Crotia enjoying rare spell of possession
After being completely suffocated by Portuguese pressure for nearly half an hour, the Vatreni are finally managing to put their foot on the ball. Luka Modrić is dropping deep to orchestrate play, allowing Croatia to build out from the back.
22' Relentless pressure from Portugal
Roberto Martínez's side is setting up camp right outside the Croatian box, zipping passes left and right looking for an opening. But credit to Croatia, their defensive block remains completely airtight and highly organised. No way through just yet!
19' FIRST YELLOW CARD OF THE MATCH
Rúben Dias enters the referee's book after being forced into a cynical challenge to stop a Croatian counter-attack
15' Portugal 0-0 Croatia
The Seleção win a corner after more relentless pressure. Renato Veiga reads the flight perfectly and rises highest above the Croatian defence, but he can't keep his header down! The ball sails agonisingly over the crossbar.
13' Ronaldo and co in firm control
Ronaldo and co. look incredibly sharp and are firmly in the driver's seat. Croatia is trying to find openings on the counter-attack, but Portugal is entirely suffocating the midfield. They are winning the ball back instantly and feeding it into the Croatian box with devastating speed.
11' Ronaldo's free-kick hits the wall
Cristiano Ronaldo steps up for a free-kick from just outside the penalty area after Portugal win a promising set-piece. The captain goes for goal, but his effort crashes straight into the Croatian wall.
Portugal 0-0 Croatia
9' Ronaldo misses
Pedro Neto whips in a dangerous cross from the right, with Cristiano Ronaldo rising highest at the far post. However, the Portugal captain cannot make clean contact, and the ball drifts harmlessly wide for a Croatia goal kick.
4' Portugal nearly scores
Leão flashes down the left flank and cuts a pass inside to Fernandes. His immediate shot is parried away by Livaković. Fernandes quickly hunts down the loose rebound, but a crowded Croatian defense does brilliantly to block his second effort. Intense start!
3' First test for Diogo Costa!
Baturina does brilliantly well to progress play down the left flank before picking out Vlašić inside the box. Vlašić gets his shot away, but it's a weak effort that rolls safely into the arms of the keeper. Early pressure from Croatia!
KICK-OFF | WE ARE UNDERWAY IN TORONTO
The referee blows the whistle, and this monumental World Cup Round of 32 clash has officially begun.
Match Predictions
Portugal Win (90 mins): 54.5%
Croatia Win (90 mins): 20.4%
Heading to Extra Time: 25.1%
(as per Opta’s supercomputer)
How to watch Portugal vs. Croatia live in India
- Kick-off Time: 4:30 AM IST (Friday, July 3) / 7:00 PM ET (Thursday)
- Venue: Toronto Stadium, Canada
- Live TV Channel (India): Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2, and Unite8 Sports 2 HD
- Live Stream (India): ZEE5 app and website (requires the dedicated FIFA World Cup pack)
Portugal vs. Croatia: All-time head-to head record
While the gap between these two European heavyweights has closed significantly over the current decade, Portugal still maintains the historical upper hand against Croatia. In their 10 previous meetings, the Seleção boast a dominant 7W-2D-1L record overall. However, Croatia has proven much tougher to beat recently, holding Portugal to a perfectly balanced 1-1-1 split since June 2024.
Portugal starting XI revealed!
Cristiano Ronaldo starts up top with Bruno Fernandes and Rafael Leão pulling the strings! Roberto Martínez leaves plenty of elite talent in reserve, with Bernardo Silva, João Félix, and Gonçalo Ramos starting this one from the bench.
Portugal XI: Costa, Mendes, Veiga, Dias, Cancelo, Vitinha, J. Neves, Leão, B. Fernandes, Neto, Ronaldo.
Croatia Starting XI vs Portugal
Zlatko Dalic makes some massive tactical calls! Joško Gvardiol, Andrej Kramarić, and Luka Vušković all drop to the bench, while both Mario and Marco Pašalić are also among the substitutes.
Croatia XI: Livaković, Stanišić, Šutalo, Pongračić, Perišić, Kovačić, Modrić, Vlašić, Sučić, Baturina, Budimir.
Published: 03 Jul 2026, 04:02 am IST
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