In a heartbreaking result, Croatia bowed out of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Friday after losing to Portugal in the Round of 32 tie at Toronto Stadium. For the bulk of the contest, Croatia were in front as Portugal displayed a listless performance, and the former further ramped up the pressure by scoring the opening goal of the contest through Ivan Perisic. However, Portugal equalised after Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty, and the side eventually came from behind to take the lead. The second goal for Portugal was provided by Goncalo Ramos.
10 minutes were added after the 90 minutes, and Portugal seemed set for a win. However, Croatia pulled off the unthinkable by getting the equaliser in the dying seconds of the game. Josko Gvardiol netted the goal, only to see his strike being ruled out due to offside.
A cross was delivered into the box from the left side by Croatia. There was a mad scramble inside Portugal’s box, and Gvardiol finally found the back of the net. Absolutely mad scenes were on offer. Perisic’s cross found its way to Mario Pasalic, and the ball then hit the Croatia midfielder before being touched home by Gvardiol.
However, it emerged that one of the players was offside when the ball was played in. The referee went to VAR for a review, and after seeing the replays, the goal was disallowed. The Portuguese got a major break, and the Croatians were made to deal with the consequences of the decision.
The VAR used the Snicko technology and found that Igor Matanovic had flicked the ball onto Pasalic, who was indeed offside when the touch was made by his teammate. Interestingly, it was also determined that the ball was deflected into his path by Portugal defender Renato Veiga.
When the referee was called over to the pitchside monitor, he decided that Veiga’s touch after Matanovic’s flick was not deliberate, hence the goal was ruled out for offside.
The Croatian fans weren’t pleased and began throwing water bottles and soft-drink cans onto the pitch. The play also restarted late as it took some time for the officials to clear the trash inside Portugal’s box. As the cleaning work went on, Croatia fans broke out into huge boos and made their feelings known.
Cristiano Ronaldo factor
Speaking of the game, Cristiano Ronaldo was adjudged as Player of the Match. The 41-year-old equalised for Portugal against Croatia after he converted a penalty. This was his first-ever knockout goal in the FIFA World Cup.
However, he was subbed off by manager Roberto Martinez in the 81st minute. Then moments later, Goncalo Ramos gave Portugal a lead, and there was jubilation around the Portugal camp.
Portugal won the contest 2-1 to set up a Round of 16 tie against Spain.
