Portugal Wins Against Croatia to Move to World Cup Round of 16

Portugal's forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated after scoring the first goal from the penalty spot during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 match against Croatia at Toronto Stadium on July 2, 2026.

Portugal fought hard to reach the last 16 of the World Cup with a thrilling 2-1 win over Croatia on Thursday. This sets up a big match against European champions Spain.

In another exciting World Cup match, Goncalo Ramos scored with a header in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Croatia almost equalized at the last minute, but their goal was ruled out for offside in Toronto.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the 41-year-old captain, played a key part in the match. He scored a penalty in the 68th minute, leveling the game after Croatia’s Ivan Perisic scored the first goal in the 53rd minute.

Ronaldo joined in the celebrations when Ramos scored a fantastic header deep into injury time to put Portugal ahead. But the excitement turned to shock when Josko Gvardiol scored what seemed like a late equalizer for Croatia in stoppage time.

There was a dramatic twist when the goal was disallowed for offside after a lengthy VAR check, leaving Croatia's players and their fans stunned at BMO Field in Toronto.

After the final whistle, an emotional Ronaldo held up and wore a Portugal shirt with the number 21. This was a tribute to his late teammate Diogo Jota, who sadly died in a car crash almost a year ago, on July 3 last year.

“We knew it before the game. It was a so special moment. We speak today, our group, about that, the coincidence of life, it’s unbelievable,” Ronaldo said about the tribute to Jota.

“I was amazed because the situation of today. It means a lot to us, not only because we won the game, but also the way we won the game. It was a difficult game, we knew it.”

This victory means that Ronaldo's impressive World Cup journey will continue for at least one more match against Spain in the last 16 in Dallas on Monday.

Ronaldo’s second-half penalty made him the oldest player to score in a World Cup knockout match. This goal was also the first time Ronaldo scored in a World Cup game in his remarkable career.