World Cup Last-16 Beckons After Portugal's Dramatic Win
Ruben Dias and Portugal are through to the World Cup round of 16 after a 2-1 victory over Croatia that had more twists than a Merseyside derby.
Cristiano Ronaldo finally scored his first-ever World Cup knockout goal — a stat that had been following him around like a bad smell — as Portugal came from behind to win it.
The game looked destined for extra time until Gonçalo Ramos popped up in the 94th minute, rising above two Croatian defenders to head home Rafael Leão's cross.
Cue chaos.
Croatia thought they'd snatched an equaliser deep into stoppage time when Josko Gvardiol bundled the ball in, but the flag went up for offside. VAR upheld the call, and Portugal breathed again.
Mateo Kovacic, on the other side, put in a shift for Croatia. He played the full 90 minutes, racking up 49 accurate passes at 94% accuracy, three shots on target, and three recoveries. Just one of those days where the stats look good but the result doesn't.
Ruben Dias played the entire match too — 110 touches, 86 accurate passes at 91%, five clearances, and five aerial duels won. Solid, unflashy, exactly what you'd expect.
Portugal now face Spain in the last-16 at the Dallas Stadium on Monday, July 6. European champions versus a Portugal side finding their rhythm at the right time. Should be a good one.