Gonçalo Ramos rose above Croatia's defence in the third minute of stoppage time to head Portugal into the FIFA World Cup's Round of 16, settling a Round of 32 knockout that swung back and forth at Toronto Stadium in Toronto, Ontario. Ivan Perišić had given Croatia a shock lead early in the second half, Cristiano Ronaldo restored parity from the penalty spot shortly after Portugal made four substitutions at once, and Ramos then struck in the 93rd minute to make it 2-1. Croatia believed they had a stoppage-time equalizer of their own when Josko Gvardiol turned the ball in, but a VAR review ruled it out, and Portugal held on to book a Round of 16 meeting with Spain.
Both sides send out attacking line-ups
Portugal started with Diogo Costa in goal behind a back four of Rúben Dias, Renato Veiga, João Cancelo and Nuno Mendes, with Bruno Fernandes, João Neves and Vitinha in midfield supporting Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Leão and Pedro Neto up front. Croatia lined up with Dominik Livaković in goal, Josip Stanišić, Marin Pongračić and Josip Šutalo across the back, Mateo Kovačić and Luka Modrić anchoring midfield alongside Nikola Vlašić, Martin Baturina and Petar Sučić, with Ante Budimir and Ivan Perišić leading the attack. Both benches completed their warm-ups before the referee got the knockout tie under way.
Portugal dominate the chances but can't find a breakthrough before the break
Croatia had the game's first real sight of goal inside three minutes, with Nikola Vlašić teeing up Ante Budimir, whose left-footed strike from the middle of the box drifted just wide. Portugal responded straight away: Rafael Leão's pass sent Bruno Fernandes through the middle of the box, only for Dominik Livaković to fling himself across goal and produce a superb save, and moments later Vitinha's effort from outside the area was charged down before Bruno Fernandes was denied again from the left of the six-yard box. Petar Sučić was penalized for a foul to hand Portugal a free kick around the five-minute mark, and João Neves won another in his own half soon after. Portugal's first corner, forced off Livaković in the sixth minute, brought a long-range effort from João Cancelo that flew over the crossbar. Croatia hit back in the tenth minute when Vlašić's cross found Budimir, but his header cleared the bar by some distance.
The game settled into a stop-start rhythm for the rest of the half. Nuno Mendes won a free kick in Croatian territory before Mateo Kovačić fouled to hand Portugal another set piece, and soon after that Cristiano Ronaldo's low, powerful strike from outside the box was blocked by a Croatian defender. João Cancelo then conceded a foul that let the experienced Ivan Perišić win a free kick in his own half. A mistake from Marin Pongračić gifted Portugal a corner just before the quarter-hour mark, and from the resulting delivery Renato Veiga rose at the near post but headed over from a golden position after Nuno Mendes had picked him out. Budimir won a free kick in an advanced area soon after, only for Rúben Dias to concede one at the other end, for which the Portugal centre-back was shown a yellow card for a reckless challenge. Renato Veiga then gave away a foul of his own, and Petar Sučić won a free kick out on the right.
Portugal forced another corner off Pongračić approaching the half-hour mark, and João Neves lashed a left-footed effort over the bar from the left side of the six-yard box after Nuno Mendes's cross found him. Play was halted briefly for a drinks break around the 23-minute mark before resuming a few minutes later. Croatia threatened again through Martin Baturina, whose powerful left-footed drive from outside the box, teed up by Sučić, was also blocked, and Nikola Vlašić was then flagged offside as Croatia pushed forward. Portugal's best chance of the half followed soon after: João Cancelo's cross picked out Cristiano Ronaldo, whose header from close range went narrowly wide of the far post.
Portugal added two more corners either side of the half-hour mark, the first off Ivan Perišić, before Nikola Vlašić conceded a free kick and Nuno Mendes had a low right-footed shot from outside the box blocked, with Cancelo again the provider. Vitinha then won a free kick on the left flank. Petar Sučić fouled again around the 36th minute to give Portugal another set piece, won in Croatia's half by Bruno Fernandes, and two more Portugal corners followed in quick succession, forced off Josip Stanišić and then Josip Šutalo as both defenders put the ball behind for safety. A foul on Sučić brought Portugal yet another free kick just before the interval, this one won by Nuno Mendes on the left, and the fourth official signalled four minutes of stoppage time. Rúben Dias won a free kick in his own half deep into that added time, but Portugal's last real chance of the half went begging when Rafael Leão's right-footed effort from the left of the box cleared the crossbar. Budimir then conceded a foul, before Rúben Dias gave away another at the other end and Ante Budimir won a free kick out on the left. Josip Šutalo also won one on the right before João Neves was penalized to hand Croatia a set piece of their own, and the referee blew for half time with the scoreline still goalless, Portugal 0, Croatia 0.
Croatia make a change and stun Portugal early in the second half
The half-time numbers showed a tight, largely even first 45 minutes, but Croatia changed the picture with their team sheet, sending on Igor Matanović for Ante Budimir before the restart. The second half began with the score still 0-0. Croatia won an early corner off Diogo Costa, and from the resulting spell of pressure Mateo Kovačić drove a left-footed shot from the left side of the box that Diogo Costa did superbly to keep out, diving to his left, with Matanović the provider. Vlašić then curled an effort from the left of the box just wide moments later. Fouls on both Igor Matanović and Vitinha produced free kicks for either side in quick succession around the fifty-minute mark.
Then, against the run of play that had built up over the first hour, Croatia took the lead. In the 52nd minute, Ivan Perišić struck a left-footed shot from the left side of the box that flew into the centre of the goal, Croatia's first shot on target of the match finding the net. Perišić scored the goal against Portugal in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 fixture played on 2 July 2026 at Toronto Stadium in Toronto, Ontario.
Martínez sends on four substitutes, then Ronaldo levels it from the spot
Portugal pushed for an immediate reply. Nikola Vlašić was flagged offside as Croatia broke again, and Luka Modrić was penalized for a foul soon after, handing the ball back to Portugal, for whom Bruno Fernandes then won a free kick in an advanced position. Croatia won a corner off Diogo Costa before Rafael Leão crashed a right-footed effort against the crossbar from outside the box, Nuno Mendes supplying the assist. Modrić then fouled Vitinha, and moments later Petar Sučić forced another good save out of Diogo Costa, who dived low to his left to keep out a firm effort from inside the box, Martin Baturina the creator. Modrić was shown a yellow card for a reckless challenge shortly after, while Vitinha won a free kick in Portugal's own half. Cristiano Ronaldo was then flagged offside as he tried to break forward.
With just under half an hour remaining and Croatia's goal still standing, Roberto Martínez responded by making four substitutions within a few minutes of each other: Francisco Conceição replaced Pedro Neto, Bernardo Silva came on for Vitinha, Nelson Semedo took over from Bruno Fernandes, and Gonçalo Ramos entered for João Cancelo. Portugal then won a corner off Livaković as they searched for a way back into the match.
The equalizer arrived from the penalty spot. Nikola Vlašić fouled Renato Veiga inside Croatia's penalty area, and after a VAR review confirmed the referee's on-field call, Portugal were awarded the spot kick. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up in the 67th minute and sent his right-footed penalty straight down the middle of the goal to make it 1-1. Croatia responded with a change of their own soon after, bringing on Mario Pašalić in place of Martin Baturina. Play was stopped for a water break shortly before the 69-minute mark and resumed a couple of minutes later.
Stoppage-time drama: Ramos wins it, VAR denies Croatia
Chances kept coming for both sides as the game wore on. Nelson Semedo won a free kick in Portugal's defensive half after a foul on Igor Matanović, and Croatia forced another corner off Diogo Costa before Mateo Kovačić's low right-footed drive from outside the box was again saved by the Portugal goalkeeper, this time diving to his right, with Mario Pašalić supplying the pass. Igor Matanović then headed over from the centre of the box after Luka Modrić's cross following a corner, and moments later Kovačić forced another save out of Diogo Costa from a header laid off by Matanović aimed at the top of the goal. Croatia won two more corners off Diogo Costa in quick succession, and from one of them Matanović struck from a tight angle on the right, only to be denied again by the Portugal goalkeeper diving low to his right. Petar Sučić was then flagged offside as Croatia's momentum stalled.
With just over ten minutes left on the clock, Portugal made their final change of normal time, sending on Rúben Neves for Cristiano Ronaldo. Portugal won a corner off Ivan Perišić, and from a Nuno Mendes cross after another corner, Renato Veiga's close-range header went narrowly wide of the far post. Croatia then wasted a big chance of their own when Mario Pašalić headed just wide of the right-hand post from a Petar Sučić cross. The fourth official signalled a lengthy 10 minutes of stoppage time at the end of normal time.
Portugal won a corner after Josip Stanišić put the ball out of play, and from the resulting delivery Gonçalo Ramos headed over from the left of the six-yard box after João Neves's cross, the ball flying high and wide of the far post. Croatia made a change at the start of stoppage time, sending on Josko Gvardiol for Nikola Vlašić. Then, in the 93rd minute, Portugal struck the decisive blow: Rafael Leão's precise cross was met by Gonçalo Ramos, who powered a header from the centre of the box into the bottom right corner to make it 2-1 to Portugal. Croatia made one more change late on, bringing on Andrej Kramarić for Mateo Kovačić.
Portugal continued to defend their lead through the closing stages. Rúben Dias won a free kick in his own half after a foul by Ivan Perišić, who was subsequently shown a yellow card. Croatia won a corner off Rúben Neves, and Igor Matanović headed narrowly wide from close range off a Luka Modrić cross, a defender getting in the way. Portugal almost made it 3-1 when Francisco Conceição's left-footed effort from the right of the box, set up by Nelson Semedo, went just wide of the left post.
Then came the moment that briefly threatened to change the result. Josko Gvardiol turned the ball into the net, and Croatia's players and bench celebrated what looked like a stoppage-time equalizer, but the video assistant referee intervened, and after a lengthy review the goal was ruled out. The on-field decision was overturned, the goal was disallowed, and the scoreline remained Portugal 2, Croatia 1. Around the same passage of play, Mario Pašalić was flagged offside, and moments before that Igor Matanović had headed just wide of the right-hand post from an Ivan Perišić cross, another good opportunity going begging for Croatia. The match was held up briefly for a stoppage from Portugal's side before resuming a couple of minutes later, and the referee finally blew the final whistle with Portugal ahead 2-1.
Full time: Portugal 2-1 Croatia, Spain awaits in the last 16
Gonçalo Ramos's stoppage-time header proved to be the difference, coming in a match where Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty had already dragged Portugal level following Ivan Perišić's early second-half opener for Croatia. Ronaldo did not see out the finish, having been substituted before Ramos's winner. More than ten minutes into second-half stoppage time, Croatia briefly believed they had salvaged a draw when Gvardiol's finish was initially allowed to stand, but VAR intervened and chalked the goal off for offside, sealing Portugal's win. Portugal have progressed to the Round of 16, where they will face Spain. Full statistics from the match were also released once the final whistle went, covering the complete contest of more than 90 minutes between the two sides.
