Portugal now faces Spain in a highly anticipated Iberian derby on July 7 in Dallas.
Toronto: Portugal has secured their place in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup following a breathtaking 2-1 comeback victory over Croatia at the Toronto Stadium. In a match that provided relentless drama from start to finish, a stoppage-time header from substitute Gonçalo Ramos ensured the Iberian side advanced at the expense of their European rivals.
Following a tense, goalless first half, it was Croatia who drew first blood shortly after the interval. Veteran winger Ivan Perišić broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute, latching onto a pinpoint delivery from full-back Josip Stanišić to fire past goalkeeper Diogo Costa at the far post.
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Portugal responded with renewed vigour, and their persistence ultimately paid off when they were awarded a penalty following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review. 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo calmly dispatched the spot-kick in the 68th minute, drawing his side level. In doing so, Ronaldo registered his first-ever knockout stage goal in the tournament.
In search of a decisive breakthrough, Portugal manager Roberto Martínez introduced fresh legs, withdrawing Ronaldo in the 82nd minute. The tactical gamble paid spectacular dividends deep into injury time. Winger Rafael Leão delivered a sublime cross into the penalty area in the 94th minute, which Ramos met with a powerful downward header to send the Portuguese supporters into raptures.
However, the drama was far from over. In the dying embers of the match, Croatia thought they had forced extra time when defender Joško Gvardiol found the back of the net. However, a lengthy VAR intervention ruled the goal out for offside, extinguishing Croatian hopes and confirming their heartbreaking elimination from the tournament.
The high-octane victory means Portugal will now prepare for a highly anticipated Iberian derby against Spain in the Round of 16 on 7 July (IST) in Dallas. Despite a spirited and tenacious performance, Croatia bowed out of the competition after pushing their opponents to the absolute limit.
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FULL TIME
Portugal 2-1 Croatia
90+2' — GOAL FOR PORTUGAL!!!
GONÇALO RAMOS WINS IT LATE!!! The supersub delivers when it matters most!
88' Miss by Croatia
Croatia orchestrate a beautiful attack down the right flank, whipping a pinpoint cross deep into the Portuguese penalty area. Mario Pašalić times his run perfectly to meet it, steering a powerful header toward goal, but it misses the post!
86' Near miss for Portugal
The Seleção win a crucial late corner, and a beautifully flighted delivery finds Renato Veiga once again. The defender climbs brilliantly above the crowd and powers a towering header toward goal, but it flashes agonisingly wide.
81' GOAL DISALLOWED!
Luka Sučić gets played through beautifully from the left flank, bursting past the backline with only Diogo Costa to beat. He keeps his composure and slots a clinical finish into the bottom right corner, sparking wild celebrations. But the ecstasy instantly turns to agony! Just like the two previously chalked-off goals tonight, the linesman’s flag is raised straight away for offside
81' Substitution, Portugal
81' Substitution, Portugal. Rúben Neves replaces Cristiano Ronaldo.
75' KOVAČIĆ HITS THE POST!
Mateo Kovačić goes on a driving, driving run straight down the center of the pitch and decides to let fly from distance, aiming for the near post. He beats a diving Diogo Costa all ends up, but the ball violently rattles off the upright! An absolute whisker away from restoring Croatia's lead!
Portugal 1-1 Croatia
67 mins: GOAL! Portugal 1-1 Croatia! Ronaldo converts
Gabri Veiga is brought down inside the penalty area, and the referee points straight to the spot after a VAR review. Ronaldo steps up under immense pressure to level the scores with a composed penalty.
61' Ronaldo goal ruled out for offside
Ronaldo thinks he has equalised after controlling a long ball brilliantly and delicately chipping Dominik Livaković. The celebrations are short-lived, however, as the assistant referee raises the flag for offside.
58' Leão denied by the crossbar!
Rafael Leão comes within inches of restoring parity for Portugal. Cutting inside from the left, the winger unleashes a powerful curling effort that beats the goalkeeper but crashes against the top-right corner of the woodwork. A spectacular strike, but Croatia survive the scare.
Portugal 0-1 Croatia
52' GOAL FOR CROATIA!!!
IVAN PERIŠIĆ STUNS PORTUGAL!!! Talk about a smash-and-grab masterclass! A brilliant, sweeping ball is delivered from the right wing straight into the Portuguese penalty area. Ivan Perišić times his run perfectly, showing ultimate composure to bring the ball down under pressure. With absolute ice in his veins, he takes a deft touch to set himself and slams a clinical finish into the back of the net!
46' Croatia go close right after the restart!
Croatia nearly break the deadlock within moments of the second half. Mateo Kovačić pounces on a loose ball and bursts through the Portugal defence before firing a low effort toward goal. Diogo Costa gets the slightest touch, diverting the shot onto the side netting to keep the score level.
Portugal 0-0 Croatia
HALF TIME
PORTUGAL 0-0 CROATIA
45+2' FOUR MINUTES OF ADDED TIME!
The fourth official holds up the board to signal just four extra minutes at the end of this first half.
44' Frustration for Portugal before the break
Portugal dominated the ball, but it's all been a bit too safe. The midfield is possessing well, yet they are finding it incredibly difficult to inject urgency and feed their frontline. Ronaldo and Leão have been starved of service in the last few minutes as Croatia successfully keeps them at arm's length.
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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