Portugal survive late drama to beat Croatia and reach World Cup last 16

Portugal secured a thrilling 2-1 victory over Croatia on Thursday, advancing to the World Cup last 16 where they will meet Spain. The match was decided in dramatic fashion, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring his first career World Cup knockout stage goal and Goncalo Ramos netting a stoppage-time header.

Croatia appeared to have equalized in the 103rd minute through Josko Gvardiol, but the goal was disallowed after a video assistant referee review determined the ball had touched Igor Matanovic, making Gvardiol offside. This last-gasp decision sent the Croatian supporters into the south end of Toronto Stadium into a frenzy, leading them to shower the pitch with debris.

Ronaldo, 41, became the oldest player to score in a World Cup knockout stage when he converted a penalty in the 68th minute, drawing Portugal level after Ivan Perisic had opened the scoring for Croatia in the 53rd minute. Substitute Ramos then sealed the win with a header in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

Despite dominating possession in the first half, Portugal struggled to convert their chances. Ronaldo, who was booed by Croatian supporters throughout the match, had several opportunities, including a disallowed goal for offside. Croatia came out strong in the second half, but Portugal managed to turn the game around in a pulsating encounter.

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It’s difficult because if you don’t win, you go home. But for me, especially, I love those types of moments, I love those type of games, I want to play every game like that, I want to be in the big moment.