Portugal eliminates Croatia in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup with a goal from Gonçalo Ramos in the final minute

Gonçalo Ramos emerged in the 90th minute to secure a dramatic 2-1 victory for Portugal against Croatia in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, held on Thursday at the , and qualified the Portuguese team for the quarter-finals.

The match kicked off with Croatia setting the pace. Ivan Perisic opened the scoring in the 53rd minute with a goal that gave the Croatians the lead. Portugal sought an immediate response, and although the VAR disallowed a goal by Cristiano Ronaldo in the 61st minute for offside, the Portuguese captain quickly made his mark: in the 68th minute, he converted a penalty to equalize the score at 1-1.

With the score tied, coach Roberto Martínez made four simultaneous substitutions in the 63rd minute, including bringing on Ramos for João Cancelo. This decision proved to be decisive.

In the 81st minute, the VAR also disallowed a goal by Petar Sucic from Croatia for offside, keeping the score level. Ronaldo left the field in that same minute, replaced by Rúben Neves. In stoppage time, Ramos received the ball inside the area and scored the definitive 2-1. In the 90th minute, the VAR also disallowed a goal by Josip Gvardiol for offside, extinguishing any chance of a Croatian response.

Statistically, Portugal dominated the match with 60% possession and 15 shots compared to Croatia's 14, although the Balkans were more dangerous in front of goal: six shots on target versus only three from the Portuguese. The Croats committed 12 fouls and received two yellow cards—Luka Modric in the 59th minute and Perisic in the 90th—compared to just one Portuguese booking, that of Ruben Dias in the 17th minute.

This was the first match between both teams in World Cup history, made possible by the expanded format of 48 teams that introduced a round of 32 for the first time. Portugal entered the match as the second team in Group K with five points, while Croatia came in as the second team in Group L with six.

With the qualification secured, Portugal will face Spain on July 6 at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas in the round of 16, which promises to be one of the most exciting matchups of the round. Croatia, on the other hand, is eliminated from the tournament.