Ramos, Ronaldo goals lead Portugal to dramatic win

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first World Cup knockout round goal! And it boosted Portugal to the round of 16.

The 41-year-old soccer icon netted the goal in the second half of Portugal’s 2-1 World Cup win over Croatia on Thursday, July 2 at BMO Field in Toronto to advance to the round of 16.

Gonçalo Ramos scored Portugal's go-ahead goal in stoppage time after Ronaldo had already been substituted off, and it looked sure to be the winner.

Roberto Martínez decided that Cristiano Ronaldo contributed enough with his goal and pulled the soccer icon in the 81st minute of the match. Ronaldo was substituted by Rúben Neves.

The goal, which came in Ronaldo's ninth World Cup game, served as the equalizer of the match. Portugal was given the penalty after a VAR review determined that Nikola Vlašić pulled Renato Veiga down in the box.

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).

Then Croatia appeared to score an equalizer even deeper into added time – but a review found an offside infraction in the buildup.

With the loss, Croatia captain Luka Modrić might have played in his last World Cup game.

The ball bounced around and Josko Gvardiol tipped it in the net. But officials called off the goal because Mario Pašalić was offsides. What a brutal finish for Croatia if this is how it ends.

However, Ivan Perišić netted the first goal of the game in the 53rd minute. Josip Stanišić kicked the ball toward the net and Igor Matanović missed a header. Perišić took the touch on the left side of the net and struck the ball in.

The goal put Croatia up 1-0.

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 marked the final career World Cup match for 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.