Portugal snatched a victory over Croatia and advanced to the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup

The Portuguese national team defeated Croatia 2–1 in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup and advanced to the next round of the tournament. Gonçalo Ramos’s goal in stoppage time decided the match.

Portugal began the tournament with a 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, then routed Uzbekistan 5-0, and finished the group stage with a scoreless 0-0 draw against Colombia.

Croatia started with a loss to England (2–4), but subsequently secured two consecutive victories—over Panama (1–0) and Ghana (2–1)—which allowed them to advance to the knockout stage.

From the opening minutes, Portugal controlled the flow of the game and created several dangerous chances. As early as the 4th minute, Bruno Fernandes had a chance to open the scoring, but goalkeeper Dominik Livaković came to Croatia’s rescue.

After the break, Croatia played more aggressively, and in the 53rd minute, Ivan Perišić opened the scoring—0–1—after a pass from Josip Stanišić.

Shortly thereafter, Igor Matanović found the back of the Portuguese net for the second time, but the goal was disallowed for offside.

In the 61st minute, the referees also disallowed a goal by Cristiano Ronaldo, ruling him offside.

Later, Portugal was awarded a penalty kick, which Cristiano Ronaldo confidently converted in the 68th minute, tying the score at 1–1. For the legendary forward, this match was historic—he set an all-time World Cup record.

In stoppage time, in the 90+4th minute, Gonçalo Ramos, following a pass from Rafael Leão, secured the victory for Portugal—2–1.

The Croatians had a chance to salvage a draw in the 90+13th minute when Josko Gvardiol scored a goal, but after a VAR review, the referee disallowed the goal for the fourth time in the match due to offside.

Portugal — Croatia — 2–1 (0–0)

Goals:

• 0–1 — Perišić, 53;
• 1:1 — Ronaldo, 68 (pen.);
• 2:1 — Ramos, 90+4.

The first matchup for the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup has been determined.

Morocco defeated the Netherlands in a penalty shootout and will face Canada, which narrowly beat South Africa 1–0 thanks to a goal by Stephen Eustachiu in the 90+2nd minute.

The Canada vs. Morocco match will take place on July 4 in Houston (USA).

As a reminder, the playoff stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is currently underway. The Swiss national team easily defeated Algeria 2–0 and secured a spot in the round of 16.