Portugal secured a spot in the next round of the 2026 World Cup following a 2-1 comeback victory against Croatia on Friday. The Portugal vs Croatia match featured multiple video assistant referee (VAR) interventions, disallowed goals, and critical turning points as both European sides competed to advance further in the international tournament.
Croatia broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute when Ivan Perisic capitalized on an assist from Luka Modric to beat goalkeeper Diogo Costa. An earlier goal by Croatia’s Igor Matanović was disallowed, as was a subsequent strike from Cristiano Ronaldo due to an offside position. After Rafael Leao hit the crossbar in the 61st minute, Portugal earned a penalty following a VAR review for a foul on Renato Veiga. Ronaldo successfully converted the spot-kick in the 68th minute to equalize.
Portugal sustained offensive pressure and secured the win when Gonçalo Ramos scored the decisive second goal to complete the comeback. Croatia thought they had salvaged a draw in the 13th minute of stoppage time, but VAR overturned their final goal for offside. Following the Portugal vs Croatia fixture, Portugal advances to face Spain in the next round of the competition.
