Portugal eliminated Croatia 2-1 in a chaotic World Cup Round of 32 clash at Toronto Stadium on Friday. Substitute Gonçalo Ramos headed in a 94th-minute winner to break a late deadlock and send his team to the next round.
The match nearly slipped away from the Portuguese squad. Croatia opened the scoring when Ivan Perišić found the net in the 53rd minute. Cristiano Ronaldo answered back in the 67th minute with a penalty kick. That strike marked a specific career milestone. It was Ronaldo’s first-ever goal in the knockout phase of a FIFA World Cup.
Deep into stoppage time, the Croatian squad believed they survived. Joško Gvardiol appeared to score a late equalizer. The celebration stopped instantly. VAR referee Jarred Gillet initiated a review and determined Igor Matanović interfered with the play. On-pitch official Espen Eskaas reviewed the footage and ruled out the goal.
Croatia is going home. Portugal now travels to Dallas for a highly anticipated Round of 16 matchup against Spain. Demand to see the Portuguese squad live is already surging across the continent. During the group stages, ticket prices hit $7,000 for their North American appearances. Dallas will likely see the same frenzy.