Portugal secures World Cup last 16 spot

Portugal has advanced to the World Cup last 16 following a dramatic victory over Croatia in Toronto. The match saw a wild finish, including multiple VAR decisions and a late winning goal from Gonçalo Ramos, securing Portugal’s progression in the tournament.

The game was billed as a significant occasion for two footballing icons, Luka Modrić and Cristiano Ronaldo. Modrić, at 40, concluded what is likely his final World Cup appearance, while Ronaldo continues in the competition. Both players scored in a match filled with incidents, though neither was the most influential on the field.

The atmosphere in the stadium was lively throughout the evening, following a sweltering day. Portugal largely controlled the first half, creating several opportunities. An early chance saw Rafael Leão set up Bruno Fernandes, whose two shots were either saved by Dominik Livaković or blocked by the Croatian defense.

Pedro Neto was a persistent threat for Portugal in the initial period, often outmanoeuvring Ivan Perišić, who played at full-back for Croatia. Neto delivered numerous crosses into the box, but despite their tempting nature, none resulted in a goal. Livaković missed one such cross, but the ball eluded Ronaldo, and another cross saw both Ronaldo and Fernandes just miss contact at the far post.

Croatia takes the lead and VAR drama unfolds

Croatia, despite being on the back foot, remained resolute in the first half. They confidently defended against Portugal’s attacks and had a strategy to isolate Martin Baturina against João Cancelo, aiming to deliver balls into the box for Ante Budimir. This approach was not overly successful, partly due to the physical attention from Rúben Dias.

At half-time, Croatia’s coach Zlatko Dalić replaced Budimir with Igor Matanović, and the dynamic of the game shifted. Croatia quickly gained momentum, and Portugal’s intensity waned. Eight minutes into the second half, Croatia took the lead when Josep Stanišić delivered a cross from the right. Perišić controlled the ball at the back post and drove it low past Diogo Costa.

Croatia then had a brief period of dominance. Petar Sučić found Matanović in the box, who scored, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Sučić himself later had a strong shot saved by Costa. Meanwhile, Leão hit the Croatian bar from 25 yards, and Ronaldo had a goal ruled out for offside.

A pivotal moment occurred when Livaković mishandled a backpass, leading to a corner for Portugal. Following the corner, VAR was consulted, and the Norwegian referee Espen Eskås was sent to the monitor. It was determined that Nikola Vlašić had an arm wrapped around Leão, resulting in a penalty decision.

Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to take the penalty, converting it to level the score. This goal marked Ronaldo’s first-ever in the World Cup knockout stage, and at 41, he became the oldest player to score in a World Cup knockout match, surpassing former teammate Pepe, who scored at 39 years and nine months.

Ronaldo’s penalty came shortly after he had an equalizer disallowed for offside. Despite some suggestions that he might be substituted, manager Roberto Martínez kept him on the field, allowing him to convert the penalty. However, after Croatia regained momentum and had another goal disallowed for offside, Ronaldo was eventually replaced by Rúben Neves with 10 minutes remaining.

Late winner and final VAR intervention

The substitution proved effective, as Portugal began to control the ball more and close down counter-attacking spaces. The play was frequently directed towards Leão, who ultimately made a decisive contribution. His cross was flicked into the net by Gonçalo Ramos in stoppage time, securing the winning goal for Portugal.

The celebrations for Ramos’s goal were extended, leading the referee to add three extra minutes to stoppage time. In the final moments of the match, Croatia appeared to have found an equalizer, but VAR intervened once more. Joško Gvardiol’s goal was ruled out for offside, the fourth such decision in the game, with a slight touch off Igor Matanović being the determining factor. This decision led to plastic bottles being thrown onto the pitch in protest, but the outcome remained unchanged.

With this victory, Portugal now prepares to face Spain in the last 16. Spain secured their spot with a 3-0 win over Austria.

Source: theguardian.com

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