TORONTO, July 3 — Cristiano Ronaldo scored the first World Cup knockout-stage goal of his career, Goncalo Ramos netted a stoppage-time winner and Portugal survived a dramatic late VAR review to beat Croatia 2-1 this morning, setting up a quarter-final clash with Spain.
Croatia thought they had equalised deep into stoppage time, leaving Ronaldo crestfallen on the bench, but the goal was ruled out for offside following a video assistant referee review. The decision prompted Portugal supporters in the south end of Toronto Stadium to throw debris onto the pitch.
"It’s difficult because if you don't win, you go home," Ramos said.
"But for me, especially, I love those types of moments. I love those types of games. I want to play every game like that. I want to be in the big moments."
Josko Gvardiol believed he had levelled for Croatia in the 103rd minute, but a review showed the ball had deflected off Igor Matanovic on its way through, leaving Gvardiol in an offside position.
Ronaldo, 41, became the oldest player to score in the knockout stage of a World Cup when he converted a penalty in the 68th minute to draw Portugal level. Substitute Ramos then rose above the Croatia defence to head home the winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
The goal was Ronaldo's first in a World Cup knockout match before coach Roberto Martinez substituted him in the 81st minute.
Ivan Perisic had given Croatia the lead in the 53rd minute, controlling a pass from Josip Stanisic before calmly finishing at the far post as the match burst into life.
Portugal dominate first half
Portugal dominated possession in the opening half but struggled to convert their chances on a night when a breeze off Lake Ontario provided some relief from the sweltering heat that had blanketed the city for much of the day.
Ronaldo, jeered by Croatia supporters whenever he touched the ball, failed to connect with an early Pedro Neto cross before he and Bruno Fernandes were unable to capitalise on a deep delivery from Joao Cancelo.
Croatia emerged strongly after the restart and pinned Portugal back. Mateo Kovacic collected a loose ball, burst through the defence and fired into the side netting shortly before Croatia took the lead.
Nikola Vlasic thought he had doubled Croatia's advantage, but the goal was ruled out for offside after he poked the ball into the net. Portugal immediately launched a counter-attack, with Rafael Leao striking the crossbar from outside the penalty area.
Ronaldo also had the ball in the net after delicately lifting it over goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, but the effort was disallowed for offside.
The Portugal captain eventually found his breakthrough in the 68th minute, calmly sending his penalty down the middle after Renato Veiga was brought down in the penalty area by Vlasic.
Emotional Ronaldo wears Jota shirt
Portugal took to the pitch with heavy hearts, with the match taking place a day before the first anniversary of forward Diogo Jota's death in a car crash.
An image of Jota wearing his No. 21 shirt was displayed on the video boards at Toronto Stadium after Portugal's national anthem, while supporters gave a standing ovation in the 21st minute in tribute to the late forward.
After the final whistle, an emotional Ronaldo donned Jota's red No. 21 shirt while fighting back tears.
"We won for us, Diogo and Portugal. Let's go," Ronaldo posted on his official Instagram account.
The final World Cup match to be played in Toronto featured two enduring stars, with Ronaldo keeping alive his quest for an elusive World Cup title, while Luka Modric was left to reflect on his international future.
Portugal and Croatia both have large diaspora communities in the Greater Toronto Area, with thousands of supporters braving the intense heat as they made their way to the stadium for the nations' first-ever World Cup meeting.
By kick-off, temperatures had eased considerably from the day's earlier high of 37 degrees Celsius, which had prompted officials to cancel a public watch party outside Toronto City Hall.
Portugal will face Spain on Monday in Dallas, with the winners advancing to a quarter-final against either Belgium or the US.
