Ronaldo's post after Portugal's controversial win over Croatia garners millions of reactions

Portugal secured a spot in the World Cup Round of 16 after a contentious victory over Croatia. The match was marred by a disallowed Croatian equalizer in the 13th minute of stoppage time, which would have forced extra time.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored Portugal's first goal from a penalty, dedicated the win to his former teammate Diogo Jota, marking the first anniversary of his death. Ronaldo shared a photo on social media of the team holding Jota's jersey, a post that quickly garnered nearly nine million likes and over 264,000 comments.

“

We won for ourselves, for Diogo, and for Portugal! Let's gooo!

"We won for ourselves, for Diogo, and for Portugal! Let's gooo!" Ronaldo wrote. He later added, "It's a special day because of our Jota, who watched us from above. We all felt he was present with us, and today we honored him in the best possible way with this victory."

Croatia had initially taken the lead in the 53rd minute through Ivan Perišić, but Ronaldo's penalty in the 64th minute leveled the score. Goncalo Ramos scored the winning goal for Portugal in the third minute of stoppage time.

“

It's a special day because of our Jota, who watched us from above. We all felt he was present with us, and today we honored him in the best possible way with this victory.