- Gonçalo Ramos scored the winning goal in added time with a decisive header.
- Spain dominates Austria and does not allow any shots on goal throughout the match.
- Ronaldo scores from a penalty and becomes the oldest scorer in World Cup qualifiers.
Portugal and Spain booked their places in the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup with contrasting victories on Thursday, as Cristiano Ronaldo’s side survived late VAR drama to beat Croatia 2-1, while the European champions claimed a convincing 3-0 victory over Austria.
In another heartbreaking World Cup classic, Gonçalo Ramos put Portugal ahead in the fourth minute of stoppage time before Croatia saw a last-gasp equalizer agonizingly ruled out for offside in Toronto.
Portugal’s superstar captain Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, had helped his team get back into the match, burying a 68th-minute penalty to cancel out Croatia’s 53rd-minute opener from Ivan Perisic. Ronaldo became the oldest scorer in a World Cup qualifying match.
Ronaldo later joined the frantic celebrations after Ramos scored a sensational header in stoppage time to give Portugal the lead.
But Ronaldo and his Portugal teammates were stunned when Josko Gvardiol scored an apparent equalizer in stoppage time.
However, there was a final twist when the goal was disallowed for offside after a lengthy VAR review to the disbelief of the Croatia players and their large contingent of fans at Toronto’s BMO Field.
After the final whistle, an emotional Ronaldo stood up and put on a Portugal shirt with the number 21, a tribute to his late teammate Diogo Jota, the Liverpool star who tragically died in a car accident almost a year after Thursday’s victory on July 3 last year.
“We knew it before the game. It was a very special moment. We talked today, our group, about that, about the coincidence of life, it’s incredible,” Ronaldo said after the tribute to Jota.
“I was surprised by the situation today. It means a lot to us, not only because we won the game, but also because of the way we won it. It was a difficult game, we knew that.”
The result ensures that Ronaldo’s incredible World Cup run will be extended by at least one more match when the Portuguese take on Iberian rivals Spain in the last 16 in Dallas on Monday.
Ronaldo’s second-half penalty made him the oldest man to score in a World Cup knockout match.
Spain surpasses Austria
Spain had advanced to that fixture with a brilliant 3-0 victory over Austria in Los Angeles earlier Friday, confirming their status as one of the title favourites.
Two goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and a header from Pedro Porro sealed the victory for the Spanish, who produced their most complete performance of the tournament to advance to the next round.
Spain opened its World Cup campaign with a faltering 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, but subsequently gained momentum with each match.
With Spanish movie stars Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem among the 70,492 spectators at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Spain was always in control against a limited Austrian team that failed to register a shot on goal.
Oyarzabal put Spain ahead in the 36th minute, sweeping in a low shot to cap a deft passing move, and more deft interplay set up Porro to head in the second in the 66th minute.
Real Sociedad striker Oyarzabal got the second after calmly finishing off a low cross from Marc Cucurella.
“We played a magnificent match. I’m happy because, in every aspect, we were close to perfection,” said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente.
“From now on each match will be more complicated. Each match will be a little more demanding. We are entering a more critical phase” of the World Cup, he added.
De la Fuente said his Spanish team can still improve “in all areas.”
“That is our spirit: the belief that we have not yet reached our ceiling. We need to improve naturally. We are ambitious,” he said.
