Back to news
Portugal beats Croatia after a spectacle and meets Spain in the eighth finals of the 2026 World Cup
Teams 4 July 2026

Portugal beats Croatia after a spectacle and meets Spain in the eighth finals of the 2026 World Cup

Portugal qualified for the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup by beating Croatia 2-1 in an exciting clash. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first knockout goal at a World Cup and Gonçalo Ramos decided the match deep into injury time. Croatia thought they could equalize through Josko Gvardiol, but his goal was disallowed for offside. Portugal now meets Spain in Dallas.

Portugal has qualified for the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup thanks to a spectacular 2-1 victory over Croatia. In the second half, Portugal fought back from a deficit, keeping the Croats out of the tournament. A historic milestone was achieved for Cristiano Ronaldo: the experienced striker finally scored his first goal ever in a knockout match at a World Cup.

![Image](https://s.yimg.com/lo/mysterio/api/3d3583e19c4d9307621f48aecf5d65ca765db24b877f4b3b5de75eb204e9b220/lightyear_networkapi/r esizefill_w1200;quality_80;format_webp/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fcity_xtra_articles_863%2F784678fe19167bdc1a1c22cc97a0c8ef)

The match was evenly matched for a long time and seemed to be heading for extra time, but in the 94th minute it was Gonçalo Ramos who headed his team to the next round. The striker towered above everything and everyone after a perfect cross from Rafael Leão and gave Portugal a hard-fought victory.

The final phase provided quite a bit of drama. Croatia thought they could score an equalizer in injury time through Josko Gvardiol, but the goal was ultimately disallowed for offside. This left the score at 2-1 and Portugal can prepare for a cracker against European champions Spain on Monday, July 6, at the Dallas Stadium.


Related Articles

  1. Mundial 2026
  2. Mundial 2026

Related articles

Portugal schakelt Kroatië uit na zinderende comeback, tre... | Oranje Total Football | Oranje Total Football