Portugal edged Croatia 2-1 in a round‑of‑32 thriller. Gonçalo Ramos headed a stoppage‑time finish from Rafael Leão after the bench watched nervously as the ball swirled in the box. Ronaldo equalised from the spot in the 68th minute, his first World Cup knockout goal. Croatia thought it had drawn level via Mario Pašalić, but VAR ruled him offside.

Luka Modrić made his fifth World Cup appearance, joining Ronaldo as the only outfield players over 40 in the tournament. In Lisbon, fans erupted in the capital when the Serbian side appeared to level, hurling bottles and whistling as VAR erased the goal, marking the tenth overturned call of the competition. The incident highlighted the razor‑thin margin between triumph and exit.

Portugal now faces Spain once again on Monday in the round of 16, securing only their second ever World Cup win. The victory bolsters their knockout pedigree and adds pressure on a Spanish outfit eager for a crucial deep run. Croatia’s journey ends, concluding Modrić’s distinguished World Cup résumé and leaving the Croatian squad to regroup ahead of upcoming future tournaments.