Portugal 2-1 Croatia: Goncalo Ramos header seals late comeback and Spain last-16 tie

Key facts

• Result: Portugal 2-1 Croatia, Friday, July 3, Toronto
• Scorers: Perisic 53', Ronaldo 66' (pen), Ramos 90+4'
• Disallowed: Croatia had three goals ruled out for offside
• Milestone: Ronaldo's first World Cup knockout-stage goal
• Modric: possibly his final match for Croatia

How it happened

Croatia struck first eight minutes after the break. Josip Stanisic's cross took a deflection, Perisic brought it down and drilled a low finish through Diogo Costa's legs in the 53rd minute. It was Perisic's seventh World Cup goal, moving him past Davor Suker as Croatia's all-time leading scorer at World Cups.

Portugal levelled from the penalty spot. After Nikola Vlasic hauled down Renato Veiga at a corner, referee Espen Eskas pointed to the spot following a VAR review, and Ronaldo sent his kick straight down the middle in the 67th minute. The winner arrived in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Rafael Leao crossing for substitute Goncalo Ramos to head home.

Three goals wiped out

Croatia's night was defined by the VAR screen. They had two efforts ruled out for offside. The last one, a scrambled finish in the 103rd minute, was the cruellest. Deep in stoppage time, Croatia thought they had forced extra time, only for the goal to be chalked off.

There were near misses at both ends. Rafael Leao struck the crossbar in the 58th minute, and Ronaldo thought he had equalised before the break, only for a tight offside call to intervene. Mateo Kovacic rattled the post and forced Costa into a save from the rebound. Petar Sucic finished neatly from a Kovacic pass, but that too was flagged.

A knockout first for Ronaldo

The penalty gave Ronaldo his first goal in the knockout stage of a World Cup. He and his teammates had dominated the opening 45 minutes without scoring, and the second half turned into an open contest with chances at both ends.

Costa proved decisive in a frantic spell between the 75th and 77th minutes, denying Kovacic twice and heading away a chance from Igor Matanovic.

Portugal now face Spain

Portugal will play against Spain in the last 16 tie Monday, July 6, on Dallas Stadium. Croatia, finalists in 2018, exit after a performance repeatedly undone by marginal offside decisions. Stoppage time in the second half ran to almost 19 minutes, well beyond the 10 first indicated.