Portugal edge Croatia in VAR-heavy World Cup thriller

Portugal are through to the World Cup last 16 after Gonçalo Ramos converted Rafael Leão’s delivery in a dramatic finish against Croatia. The decisive moment came after a match that repeatedly swung between control, pressure and controversy.

Cristiano Ronaldo had earlier scored a penalty following a VAR review, after referee Espen Eskås checked an incident involving Vlašić and Leão at the monitor. Croatia had threatened strongly after the interval, with Ivan Perišić scoring and several later attacks forcing Portugal to survive extended pressure.

The game’s defining subplot was the officiating. The report says four goals were disallowed, including a last-second Joško Gvardiol effort ruled out for offside by VAR, a decision that prompted bottles to be thrown onto the pitch in protest.

Beyond the Ronaldo-Modrić storyline, the match underlined how decisive Portugal’s wide players became. Leão was central to both the penalty incident and the late winner, while Portugal’s changes helped them regain enough control to see out a volatile knockout tie.