Portugal advanced with a 2-1 win over Croatia in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32, with Goncalo Ramos scoring the decisive goal after coming off the bench. A late Croatia equaliser by Josko Gvardiol was disallowed following a VAR review, leaving Portugal to move on to face Spain.
Croatia had gone ahead through Ivan Perisic early in the second half, but Portugal responded when Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty after Renato Veiga was judged to have been fouled in the area. Ronaldo, 41, was later substituted before Ramos met a Rafael Leao delivery to put Portugal in front in added time.
The match’s central talking point will be the final VAR intervention. Gvardiol found the net deep into stoppage time, but the review concluded that an offside offence was involved in the build-up, with Mario Pasalic considered to be in an offside position after a touch from Igor Matanovic.
The decision drew contrasting reactions from the benches: Croatia’s Zlatko Dalic criticised the officiating and the impact of VAR, while Portugal coach Roberto Martinez defended the call as clear. Beyond the controversy, Portugal now face Spain with fresh selection questions, particularly after Ramos made a strong impact and Ronaldo still contributed from the penalty spot.
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