Portugal Defeats Croatia 2-1, Sets Up Last‑16 Showdown with Spain

Portugal booked their place in the World Cup last 16 after a thrilling 2‑1 victory over Croatia in Toronto. Goncalo Ramos headed the winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time, following Cristiano Ronaldo’s earlier penalty that had levelled the scores.

Croatia had taken the lead in the 53rd minute through Ivan Perisic. Ronaldo restored parity from the spot in the 68th minute before Ramos’ late header secured the win for the Portuguese side.

The victory sets up a Monday last‑16 clash with European champions Spain in Dallas.

In the dying moments, Croatia thought they had forced extra time when Josko Gvardiol prodded the ball into the net, but a lengthy VAR review ruled the effort out for offside.

After the final whistle, an emotional Ronaldo held up and wore a Portugal shirt bearing the number 21 in tribute to his late teammate Diogo Jota.

Reflecting on the moment, Ronaldo said, “We knew it before the game. It was a so special moment. We speak today, our group, about that, the coincidence of life, it’s unbelievable. I was amazed by the situation today. It means a lot to us, not only because we won the game, but also the way we won the game. It was a difficult game, we knew it.”

Spain’s Path to the Last‑16

Spain reached the last 16 with a comfortable 3‑0 win over Austria in Los Angeles. Mikel Oyarzabal netted twice, while Pedro Porro added the other goal.

Oyarzabal opened the scoring in the 36th minute, Porro headed in the second in the 66th minute, and Oyarzabal completed his brace from a Marc Cucurella cross.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente praised his side’s performance, saying they were close to perfect and warned that the upcoming matches would be more demanding as the tournament enters a critical phase.

Despite the convincing win, de la Fuente added that the team still believes it can improve, stating, “That is our spirit, the belief that we haven’t hit our ceiling yet. We need to improve naturally. We are ambitious.”