Portugal snatched victory over Croatia and progressed to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup
The Portuguese national team beat Croatia in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup. The match at BMO Field in Toronto ended in a 2–1 victory for Portugal.
The first half ended goalless.
Early in the second half, the Croatians opened the scoring. In the 53rd minute, Ivan Perišić put his team ahead with a precise strike.
Three minutes later, Croatia had the chance to double their lead, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
In the 58th minute, it was Portugal’s turn to create a dangerous chance. Rafael Leão shot from distance, but the ball hit the crossbar.
In the 61st minute, Cristiano Ronaldo found the back of the Croatian net, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
In the 68th minute, Portugal equalised. Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty awarded by the referee for a foul by Nikola Vlašić on Renato Veiga during a corner kick.
In the 81st minute, Croatia scored their second goal, but Petar Sučić’s goal was also disallowed for offside.
Immediately afterwards, Ronaldo was substituted for the first time in this World Cup. Ruben Neves came on in his place.
The match was decided in stoppage time. In the 90+4th minute, Gonçalo Ramos headed home a cross from Rafael Leão on the left flank to secure victory for Portugal.
Croatia still had a chance to avoid defeat. In the 90+13th minute, Josko Gvardiol scored against Portugal, but following a VAR review, the goal was disallowed for offside.
Cristiano Ronaldo was named man of the match.
This match also marked Luka Modrić’s final appearance for the national team. The Croatian midfielder started the match and played the full 90 minutes.
Thanks to this victory, Portugal have progressed to the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, where they will face Spain, who earlier beat Austria 3–0.
The Portugal v Spain match will take place on 6 July at 22:00 Kyiv time.
In the group stage, Portugal finished second in Group K. The team drew with the DR Congo and Colombia, and thrashed Uzbekistan.
Croatia finished second in Group L following a defeat to England and victories over Panama and Ghana.
The 2026 World Cup runs from 11 June to 19 July in the USA, Mexico and Canada. This is the first World Cup to feature 48 national teams.
