Goncalo Ramos delivered the decisive moment deep into stoppage time as Portugal completed a dramatic comeback against Croatia to book their place in the last 16 of the World Cup.
The match had almost everything, from disallowed goals and VAR drama to emotional scenes involving Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric. Ronaldo finally scored his first goal in a World Cup knockout match, but it was Ramos who became Portugal’s late hero with a powerful header in the 94th minute.
Rafael Leao created the chance with a brilliant cross from the left, and Ramos climbed above the Croatian defence to guide the ball into the net. His goal sparked huge celebrations, with Portugal seemingly avoiding extra time in the most thrilling way possible.
Croatia, however, thought they had found a final twist. Josko Gvardiol bundled the ball home in the 13th minute of added time, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR review. Igor Matanovic had got a slight touch before the ball reached Mario Pasalic, who was standing offside in the build up.
Portugal controlled much of the opening half, but Croatia improved sharply after the break. Ivan Perisic gave them the lead eight minutes into the second half after Ruben Dias failed to fully clear a cross. Moments later, Matanovic had another effort ruled out for offside after finishing at the near post.
The game then opened up. Leao struck the crossbar with a curling effort, while Ronaldo had a neat finish cancelled for a tight offside call. Portugal eventually levelled through Ronaldo from the penalty spot after VAR spotted a foul on Renato Veiga during a corner.
Croatia responded strongly, with Mateo Kovacic testing Diogo Costa twice and Matanovic missing a big one on one chance. Petar Sucic also found the net, but Croatia were once again denied by the offside flag.
Ronaldo was clearly frustrated when he was taken off in the 81st minute, especially on the day he became the oldest player to start a World Cup knockout game. Still, he joined the celebrations after Ramos struck late.
For Croatia, it was a painful farewell for Modric, who produced a classy midfield display at the age of 40. For Portugal, the night ended with emotion as Ronaldo wore Diogo Jota’s jersey and led the tribute to the fans, just hours before the one year anniversary of his former team mate’s death.
