New Delhi: Portugal booked their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 after edging Croatia 2-1 in a dramatic encounter marked by two crucial VAR interventions and a historic goal from Cristiano Ronaldo.
Croatia struck first shortly after the interval when Ivan Perisic capitalised on Portugal’s missed opportunities in the opening half to give his side the lead. Portugal had enjoyed spells of possession before the break, but failed to convert promising chances as Croatia remained disciplined at the back.
The turning point arrived midway through the second half when Renato Veiga was brought down inside the penalty area during a corner. Although play initially continued, the referee reversed his decision after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor. Ronaldo calmly converted the resulting penalty, scoring his first ever goal in a World Cup knockout match to bring Portugal level.
With extra time looming, substitute Goncalo Ramos emerged as the hero, scoring the winner to send Portugal into the next round. Croatia believed they had forced an equaliser deep into stoppage time through Josko Gvardiol, only for VAR to rule out the goal for an offside infringement in the build-up.
Portugal will now face Spain in one of the standout fixtures of the Round of 16.
Elsewhere, Switzerland advanced with a composed 2-0 victory over Algeria. Breel Embolo opened the scoring after excellent work from Johan Manzambi before Dan Ndoye doubled the lead moments after the restart.
Spain also progressed comfortably after a dominant 3-0 win over Austria. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice while Pedro Porro added another as the European champions controlled proceedings from start to finish to secure their place in the knockout stage.
