Portugal battled into the World Cup last 16 with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia on Thursday, booking a blockbuster showdown with European champions Spain.
In another pulsating World Cup contest, Gonçalo Ramos headed home the winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time before Croatia had a dramatic late equaliser ruled out for offside following a lengthy VAR review at Toronto’s BMO Field.
Croatia had taken the lead through Ivan Perišić in the 53rd minute, but Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo levelled from the penalty spot 15 minutes later, becoming the oldest player to score in a World Cup knockout match.
Ronaldo then watched as Ramos powered home a superb late header to spark wild celebrations among the Portuguese players and supporters.
Croatia thought they had forced extra time moments later when Joško Gvardiol bundled the ball into the net, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside after a tense VAR check, leaving the Croatian players and fans devastated.
After the final whistle, an emotional Ronaldo held up and wore a Portugal shirt bearing the number 21 in tribute to former teammate Diogo Jota, the Liverpool forward who died in a car accident almost exactly one year earlier, on July 3.
“We knew it before the game. It was such a special moment,” Ronaldo said.
“We spoke about it as a group today. The coincidence of life is unbelievable.
“It means a lot to us, not only because we won the game, but because of the way we won it. It was a difficult match and we knew it.”
The victory extends Ronaldo’s remarkable World Cup career by at least one more match, with Portugal now set to face Iberian rivals Spain in Dallas on Monday for a place in the quarter-finals.
Spain cruise into last 16
Spain booked their place in the last 16 with an impressive 3-0 victory over Austria in Los Angeles, underlining their status as one of the tournament favourites.
A brace from Mikel Oyarzabal and a Pedro Porro header sealed a comfortable win in Spain’s most complete performance of the competition so far.
After opening the tournament with a goalless draw against Cape Verde, Luis de la Fuente’s side have gathered momentum with each outing.
Watched by Hollywood stars Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem among the 70,492 spectators at SoFi Stadium, Spain dominated throughout against an Austria side that failed to register a shot on target.
Oyarzabal opened the scoring in the 36th minute, finishing off a flowing move before Porro headed in Alex Baena’s cross midway through the second half.
Oyarzabal completed the scoring late on, calmly converting Marc Cucurella’s pinpoint delivery for his second goal of the night.
“We played a magnificent match,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said.
“I am happy because, in every aspect, we came close to perfection.
“Every match from now on will be more complicated. Every match will be more demanding. We are entering the decisive stage of the World Cup.”
Despite the emphatic victory, De la Fuente insisted his side still have room to improve.
“That is our mentality — we believe we haven’t reached our ceiling yet. We are ambitious and we want to keep getting better.”
Earlier on Thursday, Switzerland also secured a place in the last 16 with a 2-0 victory over Algeria, leaving Morocco as the only African nation to progress beyond the last-32 stage.
AFP
