Portugal booked their place in the World Cup last 16 after a dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia, setting up a highly anticipated clash with European champions Spain.
In a thrilling contest in Toronto, Goncalo Ramos headed home the winning goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time after Cristiano Ronaldo had earlier converted a second-half penalty to cancel out Croatia’s opener.
Croatia thought they had forced extra time when Josko Gvardiol found the net deep into stoppage time, but the goal was ruled out for offside following a lengthy VAR review.
Ronaldo leads Portugal’s comeback
Croatia took the lead in the 53rd minute through Ivan Perisic before Portugal responded 15 minutes later when Ronaldo confidently converted a penalty.
The 41-year-old captain later celebrated Ramos’ dramatic stoppage-time winner, which secured Portugal’s place in the knockout stage.
After the final whistle, an emotional Ronaldo held up and wore a Portugal shirt bearing the number 21 in tribute to former teammate Diogo Jota, the Liverpool forward who died in a car crash on July 3 last year.
Ronaldo said the timing of the victory made the tribute especially meaningful, describing the coincidence as unbelievable. He added that the hard-fought win meant even more because of the way Portugal overcame a difficult opponent.
The victory ensures Ronaldo’s World Cup campaign will continue with a last-16 meeting against Spain in Dallas on Monday.
His penalty also made him the oldest player to score in a World Cup knockout match and marked his first World Cup goal of the tournament.
Spain advance in style
Earlier, Spain delivered an impressive performance to defeat Austria 3-0 in Los Angeles and confirm their place in the last 16.
Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice, while Pedro Porro added another as Spain dominated throughout, preventing Austria from registering a single shot on target.
After opening their campaign with a goalless draw against Cape Verde, Spain have steadily improved with each match.
Coach Luis de la Fuente praised his team’s display, describing it as close to perfection while acknowledging that the challenges would become tougher in the knockout rounds.
He said Spain remain ambitious and believe there is still room for improvement in every aspect of their game.
Algeria seek to keep African hopes alive
Later on Thursday, Algeria will face Switzerland in a bid to become only the second African nation to reach the last 16 after Morocco.
Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal have already been eliminated, while Algeria are still searching for their first knockout-stage victory after four previous World Cup appearances.
