In a thrilling World Cup 2026 round of 32 match held in Toronto, Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 to advance to the last 16. Cristiano Ronaldo, aged 41, became the oldest player to score in a World Cup knockout stage by converting a penalty in the 68th minute, marking his first goal in this phase of the tournament. The winning goal came in stoppage time when substitute Goncalo Ramos headed the ball past the Croatian defense.

Croatia had appeared to equalize late in the game, but the goal was disallowed after a video assistant referee (VAR) review ruled the effort offside. This decision sparked frustration among Croatian supporters, who reacted by throwing debris onto the pitch.

Earlier, Ivan Perisic had put Croatia ahead in the 53rd minute with a composed finish following a pass from Josip Stanisic. Portugal dominated possession in the first half but struggled to convert chances amid sweltering heat, with a breeze off Lake Ontario providing some relief.

In other World Cup matches, Spain secured a dominant 3-0 victory over Austria, a team that failed to register a single shot on target. Switzerland also had an easy win against Algeria, who could not recover from a 2-0 deficit.

With only a few games remaining in the round of 32, France is preparing to face Paraguay in Philadelphia under intense heat conditions.

Sources