Portugal defeated Croatia. (Photo- GETTY)
Portugal vs Croatia, FIFA World Cup 2026: FIFA World Cup 2026: In the breath-taking round of 32 match, Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 and entered the pre-quarter final i.e. round of 16. In this tough match played in Toronto, a tough competition was seen between the two teams. At the same time, Portugal’s superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, ending a long wait in this match, scored a historic goal of his World Cup career, which eased the way for Portugal’s victory.
Ronaldo counterattacks after Croatia’s lead
The performance of both the teams in the group stage was not as expected, but in this great knockout match, both of them gave their full strength. After no goals were scored in the first half, the excitement of the game reached its peak in the second half. In the 53rd minute of the match, Croatia’s experienced player Ivan Perisic made a low and accurate shot and put the ball in the net and gave Croatia a vital lead of 1-0.
After scoring the goal, Portugal intensified its attacks. In the 68th minute, Croatia’s Vlasic fouled Portugal’s Veiga inside the box, on which the referee immediately signaled a penalty. Star striker Cristiano Ronaldo converted this golden opportunity into a goal and brought Portugal to a 1-1 draw. This goal was very special for Ronaldo’s career, because it is the first goal scored in the knockout stage in his entire FIFA World Cup history. Ronaldo played the first World Cup of his career in the year 2006 and this time he has entered the tournament for the sixth time, but he had to wait for 20 years to score his first knockout goal.
Extra Time’s mega-drama
In the 81st minute of the match, Portugal coach Roberto Martínez took a big and courageous decision and called Cristiano Ronaldo out of the field. This strategy of the coach proved to be a complete masterstroke in extra time. In the 94th minute of the match, Rafael Liao sent an excellent cross from the wing into the box, on which substitute Gonçalo Ramos jumped high in the air and scored a brilliant header and gave Portugal a 2-1 lead.
The match was on the verge of ending, when in the 13th minute (103rd minute) of injury time of extra time, Croatia started celebrating the equality by scoring a sensational goal. But the happiness of the Croatian fans did not last long, because after video review, the referee rejected the goal as offside. With this big decision, the Portuguese team was successful in winning 2-1. With this win, Portugal will now face arch-rival Spain in the ‘Round of 16’, who had defeated Austria 3-0 in their Round of 32 match.
