In the 2026 World Cup round of 32, Portugal beat Croatia 2-1. Neither side changed the score in the first half, and R. Dias received a yellow card in the 17th minute. At halftime, it was still 0-0.
Croatia struck first after the break. In the 53rd minute, Ivan Perišić scored to give Croatia a 1-0 lead. L. Modric was booked in the 59th minute. In the 61st minute, a Portugal goal involving C. Ronaldo was ruled out by VAR for offside; then in the 68th minute, C. Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot to level the match at 1-1.
The closing stages also featured several important decisions. In the 81st minute, a Croatia goal involving Petar Sučić was disallowed by VAR for offside. In stoppage time, G. Ramos finished an R. Leao assist in the 90+4th minute to put Portugal 2-1 ahead. Ivan Perišić was shown a yellow card in the 90+8th minute, and a goal involving J. Gvardiol was also canceled for offside in the 90+13th minute, leaving the final score at 2-1.
Match statistics showed Portugal with 61% possession to Croatia’s 39%. Expected goals were 2.18 for Portugal and 1.34 for Croatia. Portugal took 15 shots and Croatia 13, with Portugal putting 3 on target and Croatia 6. Passing accuracy was 91% for Portugal and 85% for Croatia; corners were 9-5 in Portugal’s favor; offsides were 1-4; saves were 5 for Portugal and 2 for Croatia; and fouls were 6 for Portugal and 12 for Croatia.
In the previous group-stage round 3, Portugal drew 0-0 with Colombia on 2026-06-27, while Croatia beat Ghana 2-1 on 2026-06-27.
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