2026 World Cup: Portugal Seal Dramatic Win Over Croatia in Round of 32

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Portugal secured a place in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup after defeating Croatia 2-1 in the round of 32 at Toronto Stadium on Friday, July 3, Indonesian time. The match ended dramatically in injury time with three VAR decisions directly influencing the final result.

Both teams played cautiously throughout the first half. Portugal threatened first through Bruno Fernandes in the fourth minute, but his two consecutive chances were thwarted by the Croatian defense and goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic. Croatia mostly waited and relied on counterattacks, while Portugal struggled to penetrate Croatia's defense. The first half ended goalless.

Croatia broke the deadlock eight minutes after the break. Ivan Perisic finished a precise cross from Josip Stanisic with a shot to the bottom right corner of the goal that Diogo Costa couldn't reach in the 53rd minute.

Croatia appeared to have scored a second goal through Igor Matanovic in the 56th minute. However, the goal was disallowed for offside after a VAR check.

Portugal tried to equalize. Rafael Leao almost leveled the score in the 58th minute when his shot from outside the penalty box hit the goalpost. Cristiano Ronaldo also scored a goal in the 61st minute, but it was again disallowed after a VAR check for offside.

Portugal's moment came in the 67th minute. After reviewing the VAR footage, referee Espen Eskas changed his decision and awarded a penalty to Portugal. In the 68th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo calmly equalized the score to 1-1.

Croatia was frustrated again in the 80th minute. Petar Sucic managed to score against Portugal, but the goal was disallowed by VAR for offside once again.

Portugal finally turned the game around in the 90+4th minute. Rafael Leao sent a high pass into the penalty box that Goncalo Ramos headed. The ball slid into the right corner of the goal, giving Portugal a 2-1 lead.

The drama wasn't over. In the 90+13th minute, Josko Gvardiol managed to score an equalizer from Mario Pasalic's pass. However, after another VAR review, the referee disallowed the goal for offside.

This decision secured Portugal's 2-1 lead until the final whistle blew. While Roberto Martinez's team advanced to the round of 16, Croatia's 2026 World Cup journey came to an end.

Read: 2026 World Cup: Spain Cruises Into Round of 16 With 3-0 Rout of Austria

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