Kathmandu, July 3: Portugal booked their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 after securing a dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia in the Round of 32 on Friday.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonçalo Ramos scored a goal each for Portugal, while Ivan Perišić found the net for Croatia. Despite taking the lead early in the second half, Croatia failed to hold on as Portugal produced a late comeback to advance.
The first half ended in a goalless stalemate before Perišić broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute, giving Croatia a 1-0 advantage.
Portugal equalized in the 68th minute when Ronaldo calmly converted a penalty after Croatia’s Vasić brought down Gabri Veiga inside the penalty area.
With extra time approaching, Rafael Leão delivered a pinpoint cross in the fourth minute of stoppage time, allowing Gonçalo Ramos to power home a header and complete Portugal’s comeback.
Croatia thought they had rescued the match in the 13th minute of added time when Joško Gvardiol found the back of the net. However, after a VAR review, the goal was ruled out for offside, confirming Portugal’s 2-1 victory.
The defeat ends Croatia’s FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign, while Portugal move on to the Round of 16, where they will face Spain. Spain secured their place in the next round earlier on Friday with a convincing 3-0 win over Austria.
