Portugal vs Croatia: Ronaldo penalty levels score

Portugal and Croatia are level again at the 2026 World Cup thanks to a second-half Cristiano Ronaldo penalty.

Ronaldo, who had seen a wonderful goal ruled out for offside moments earlier, struck from the spot after Renato Veiga was brought down by Nikola Vlasic off the ball.

Ronaldo moves into the top 10 all-time for goals scored at the World Cup (11). He is now joint-ninth with Jurgen Klinsmann and Sandor Kocsis. He has now scored more goals for Portugal than he did for Manchester United (146 v 145).

Earlier at 59th minutes of the game, Ronaldo scored but he was offside! He was through on goal and lofted the ball over the goalkeeper really nicely — that must be a close call...

He had to abandon his 'Siu' celebration there after thinking he had scored his first knockout goal at a World Cup.

Ivan Perisic had earlier fired Croatia into a second-half lead, with Spain lying in wait in the last 16.

Croatia came out for the second half with actual intent, and the initiative has paid off in the most gloriously on-brand way. Down the right they went again, and there was Ivan Perisic waiting on the other side of that cross, ready to finish it off.

Portugal reached the knockout stage after finishing second in Group K, drawing with Congo DR and Colombia either side of a 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan. Croatia, runners-up at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, also progressed after recovering from an opening defeat against England to record Group L victories over Panama and Ghana.

The contest between two of Europe's leading football nations provides plenty of compelling subplots, not least a potential final meeting between two of the game's greats.

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo and Croatia skipper Luka Modric spent six seasons together at Real Madrid, winning four UEFA Champions League titles, and both veterans remain central figures for their respective teams, with Ronaldo scoring twice against Uzbekistan and Modric marking his 201st game for Croatia with a vital assist against Ghana.

This game could mark the final career World Cup match for either 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo or his former Real Madrid teammate and veteran Croatian midfielder 40-year-old Luka Modric.

Although Portugal and Croatia have never met at the World Cup before, they have shared memorable encounters at the UEFA European Championship. Luis Figo scored as Portugal claimed a 3-0 group-stage victory at UEFA EURO 1996, before Ronaldo and Modric both featured in a EURO 2016 Round of 16 duel in which Ricardo Quaresma's extra-time winner sent Portugal through. Their most recent meeting came in the UEFA Nations League in November 2024, when Josko Gvardiol cancelled out Joao Felix's opener in a 1-1 draw.

The winners will face Spain in the Round of 16 on 6 July at Dallas Stadium.