Portuguese Gonçalo Ramos (9) receives congratulations from Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring a goal during the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match between Portugal and Croatia (AP Photo)
A dramatic stoppage-time header from substitute Goncalo Ramos lifted Portugal to a thrilling 2-1 win over Croatia at Toronto Stadium on Friday. The thrilling win secured Portugal a place in the last 16, setting up an Iberian derby against neighbors Spain on Monday.The high-stakes confrontation ended in major controversy. Trailing 2-1 in stoppage time, Croatia thought they had to resort to extra time with the final kick of the match. However, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened after a lengthy review and ruled Mario Pasalic offside. The decision sparked angry protests from Croatian fans, who threw bottles on the field and blew loud whistles.
Earlier, Croatia opened the scoring in the 53rd minute when defender Josip Stanisic sent a perfect cross from the right side, allowing veteran winger Ivan Perisic to shoot it past Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
By one goal, Portugal’s World Cup dreams looked in grave danger.However, the 2016 European champion fought back strongly and won a decisive penalty. Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo took the lead in the 68th minute and calmly executed a penalty kick to tie the score at 1-1. With this decisive strike, the 41-year-old maestro made history by becoming the oldest scorer in the history of the FIFA World Cup. Remarkably, it was also Ronaldo’s first ever goal in the knockout stages of the tournament.
Sensing the need for fresh energy, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez took a brave tactical gamble by replacing Ronaldo in the 82nd minute. The move paid off in the 94th minute when winger Rafael Leao sent a beautiful cross into the penalty area. Ramos anticipated the alert perfectly, beating Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic with a powerful header down the stretch to seal the win.The defeat marks a heartbreaking end to Luka Modric’s famous international career. The 40-year-old midfield maestro, who led his country to second place in 2018 and third place in 2022, was unable to pull off a final miracle in his fifth and final World Cup campaign. Portugal now move on to face a formidable Spanish side in what is expected to be an enthralling encounter before the quarter-finals.