Portugal survive Croatia scare as microchip VAR rules out late equaliser in World Cup thriller
Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty for his first World Cup knockout goal, Gonçalo Ramos headed a stoppage-time winner, and a Croatian equaliser was disallowed by a microchip-assisted VAR review as Portugal edged Croatia 2-1 in a chaotic round-of-32 match in Toronto.
Ronaldo's milestone and an uneasy truce
Cristiano Ronaldo netted from the penalty spot in the 68th minute, cancelling out Ivan Perišić's opener and securing his first ever World Cup knockout-stage goal at age 41. The strike keeps alive what his sister described as his "last dance" at a World Cup, but the Portuguese captain's performance and his visible displeasure at being substituted in the second half have done little to quieten the debate around his role. "The national team is a group of players who are still striving to become a proper team," Portuguese newspaper Record headlined after a laborious group-stage campaign that left them as Group K runners-up.
The national team is a group of players who are still striving to become a proper team.
- Ivan Perišić opens the scoring for Croatia with a first-half strike.
- Cristiano Ronaldo converts a penalty to make it 1-1 (68').
- Substitute Gonçalo Ramos heads Portugal in front in stoppage time (90+4').
- Joško Gvardiol's potential equaliser is disallowed after a microchip-assisted VAR offside review (90+13').
Late drama and a disallowed equaliser
Gonçalo Ramos, on as a substitute, rose to head in a curling Rafael Leão cross in the 94th minute, sending Portugal's bench into wild celebrations. Croatia thought they had forced extra time when Joško Gvardiol crashed the ball home in the 103rd minute of the match (90+13), but a VAR review intervened. The system's connected-ball microchip detected the faintest touch from Igor Matanović's head earlier in the move, placing him in an offside position. Norwegian referee Espen Eskås ruled the goal out, ending the match 2-1 and prompting furious Croatian fans to shower the pitch with debris.
Honestly, I think I felt a slight contact with my hair. I asked the referee, I wasn't 100 percent sure if I had touched it. He told me they have a chip in the ball, there was a small contact, and because of that, it was offside.
Coaches split on the officiating
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić called the refereeing "very bad" and felt his team were denied free kicks, but refused to use it as an excuse for the defeat. "But Croatia lost. I'm not going to find any excuses," the 59-year-old said, while also acknowledging his side did not create enough first-half chances. Portugal's Roberto Martínez saw it differently, praising Eskås for getting the big decisions right. "There were no bad decisions. Today we were fortunate," Martínez said, adding that Croatia had not been robbed and that the offside and penalty calls were clear.
It was very bad refereeing. But Croatia lost. I'm not going to find any excuses.
End of an era for Modrić
Luka Modrić, 40, appeared crestfallen at the final whistle in what Dalić acknowledged was probably his last World Cup match. "This was probably his last World Cup. And I'm sorry that it ended this way," Dalić said. The coach insisted the future of the Croatian national team remains bright, pointing to the young players who impressed during the tournament.
Spain await in the last 16
Portugal now travel to Dallas for a round-of-16 meeting with European champions Spain on Monday. Martínez described it as "the European game of this World Cup," a chance for his side to turn a campaign marked by doubts into genuine momentum.
