Match report
Late Ramos strike sends Portugal past Croatia into last 16
Portugal edged Croatia 2-1 in a World Cup Round of 32 tie at BMO Field, sealing the win with a stoppage-time goal that ended a tense contest between two sides who had traded control for long spells.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Croatia broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute when Ivan Perišić converted an assist from Josip Stanišić to put Zlatko Dalic's side ahead. Portugal responded through Cristiano Ronaldo, who levelled from the penalty spot in the 68th minute to make it 1-1. The tie stayed level until deep into stoppage time, when Gonçalo Ramos, set up by Rafael Leão, struck in the 90th minute to snatch victory for Roberto Martinez's side.
Portugal dominated territory throughout, holding 61% of possession and registering 15 shots to Croatia's 13, though Croatia were sharper in front of goal with six shots on target against Portugal's three. The home side's xG of 2.18 outstripped Croatia's 1.34, reflecting a match in which Portugal probed patiently before finding a breakthrough in the final moments.
Gonçalo Ramos settled the contest with a stoppage-time winner and finished with a rating of 7.9, matching the mark of Croatia's scorer Ivan Perišić, who had given his side the lead earlier in the second half.
Portugal's 61% share of possession underlined their control of the game even as Croatia created the more clinical chances on the counter.
Portugal beat Croatia 2–1 (half-time 0–0).
Portugal met Croatia in the World Cup (Round of 32). Kick-off was Thursday, 2 July 2026, 23:00 UTC at BMO Field. Referee: Espen Eskas.
Key moments
- 53' Goal: Ivan Perišić (assist: Josip Stanišić) — 0–1 · Watch Ivan Perišić's goal video (53')
- 68' Goal (penalty): Cristiano Ronaldo — 1–1 · Watch Cristiano Ronaldo's goal video (68')
- 90' Goal: Gonçalo Ramos (assist: Rafael Leão) — 2–1 · Watch Gonçalo Ramos's goal video (90')
Starting line-ups
Portugal (4-2-3-1)
- 1 Diogo Costa
- 25 Nuno Mendes
- 13 Renato Veiga
- 3 Rúben Dias
- 20 João Cancelo
- 23 Vitinha
- 15 João Neves
- 17 Rafael Leão
- 8 Bruno Fernandes
- 18 Pedro Neto
- 7 Cristiano Ronaldo (c)
Croatia (4-2-3-1)
What the press said
🌎🇵🇹 OFFICIAL: Cristiano Ronaldo, FIFA Man of the Match for Portugal vs Croatia. https://t.co/svnKFo89qk
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🚨🚨🔥 PORTUGAL FLY TO WORLD CUP RO16 TO FACE SPAIN! Cristiano makes history as oldest goalscorer in World Cup knockout stages ever. 💥 Croatia have been eliminated. ❌🇭🇷 Who’s your Man of the Match? https://t.co/X4FuEis2yc
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Portugal into the R16 after a late 2-1 win over Croatia. Cristiano Ronaldo with his first goal in a World Cup knockout game and Gonçalo Ramos with the 90+4' winner. Joško Gvardiol thought he had equalised 13 minutes into added time, but his goal was ruled out for offside. VAR used a snickometer to detect a faint touch from Igor Matanovic, who flicked the ball onto Gvardiol. It means Luka Modrić bows out at his final World Cup in the R32. Portugal will now face Spain.🇵🇹🇭🇷
❤️ 3.7kopen on X ↗
About this match
On this page: the Portugal vs Croatia final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this World Cup fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
- Watch Ivan Perišić's goal against Portugal (53').
- Watch Cristiano Ronaldo's goal against Croatia (68').
- Watch Gonçalo Ramos's goal against Croatia (90').
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from Portugal 2–1 Croatia. Explore more on the Portugal and Croatia team pages or the World Cup page.
Quick answers
›What was the final score of Portugal vs Croatia?
Portugal beat Croatia 2–1 (half-time 0–0).
›Who scored in Portugal vs Croatia?
Ivan Perišić (53') for Croatia; Cristiano Ronaldo (68') (penalty) for Portugal; Gonçalo Ramos (90') for Portugal.
›Where can I watch Portugal vs Croatia highlights?
Goal highlights and video clips from Portugal 2–1 Croatia are on this page — open the videos tab to watch every goal.