​Cristiano Ronaldo scored a penalty to level the score for Portugal, but he was substituted in the second half as Goncalo Ramos emerged with a dramatic late winner. Ramos headed home a superb pass from Rafael Leao in stoppage time, sending Portugal into the last 16 as Croatia’s late push was thwarted by VAR. Croatia thought they had equalized in the final seconds of extra time when Josko Gvardiol tapped in, but the goal was ruled offside, leaving Croatian players and fans stunned and some to throw rubbish on the pitch. In the moments before the disallowed goal, the Portuguese bench and coach Roberto Martinez pressed the officials for the final whistle.
Ronaldo had a pivotal role, converting a penalty after Renato Veiga was fouled by Nikola Vlasic, restoring parity after Ivan Perisic had given Croatia the lead in the 53rd minute. It marked Ronaldo’s first knockout-stage goal and made him the oldest scorer in World Cup knockout history. The match also featured a notable exchange between Ronaldo and Croatian legend Luka Modric, the latter likely bringing his World Cup career to a close with Thursday’s defeat. Additionally, it was the first World Cup game to pit two outfield players aged over 40 on the same pitch.
Portugal later paid tribute to their late teammate Diogo Jota, holding up his number 21 shirt. In the opening minutes, Perisic’s goal stunned Portugal, finishing a move that began with a long ball. Ronaldo’s equalizer came soon after, but his initial header was ruled offside. Ronaldo then converted from the spot after Veiga was fouled by Vlasic, firing straight down the middle and celebrating with fervor as the Toronto crowd roared. Ronaldo was taken off in the 81st minute to be replaced by Ruben Neves, and the sellout 43,000 crowd applauded his departure.
Croatia continued to press, with Kovacic testing Diogo Costa and Pasalic nearly winning it with a header, though offside had negated that chance. The match concluded with Ramos providing Portugal’s late decisive moment, while Croatia’s hopes of an equalizer were ultimately denied by VAR and the decisive stoppage-time winner.