Portugal escaped by the skin of its teeth against Croatia, seeing out a 2–1 victory on Thursday in a game that could only be described as absolutely enthralling and somewhat manic. After a rather underwhelming first half lacked much of any talking points, the game came to life following the restart. Croatia was the better side in the early stages and was rewarded for its newfound dominance with a goal from Ivan Perišić in the 53rd minute. The Seleção das Quinas got back into the game from the spot through the right foot of Cristiano Ronaldo, who buried his first career World Cup knockout goal in the 68th minute. The penalty stabilized the game, but only momentarily. Suddenly the match was end to end, and it looked like either side was one move away from bagging a late winner. The moment eventually fell to Gonçalo Ramos and the substitute powered a header into the back of the net to ultimately send Portugal to the round of 16. Croatia thought it scored an equalizer through Joško Gvardiol in the 103rd minute, but the goal was called back after a controversial VAR decision wiped it away for offsides. Ronaldo and Co. now meet Spain in the round of 16, a rematch of the 2025 UEFA Nations League final that Portugal won on penalties. One Thing We Can’t IgnoreBruno Fernandes had a game to forget. | Patrick Smith/FIFA/Getty ImagesSo much was made about Portugal having the best midfield in the tournament before the World Cup kicked off this summer. Vitinha, João Neves and Bruno Fernandes were all coming off sensational seasons with their respective clubs and should have had no trouble pulling the strings for the national team. Except for all their clinical passing, there was little penetration actually happening in the first hour. The midfielders easily retained possession, but their forward passes were nowhere near the final third. There was no creative outlet, no line-breaking pass to find an opening against Croatia’s low block. Martínez had seen enough by the 62nd minute, pulling Fernandes and Vitinha—two of the best in the world at their respective positions—out of the game. Six minutes later, Portugal equalized. It must be said that once Vitinha left the pitch, Portugal relinquished much of its control in the middle of the park and dealt with an onslaught from Croatia. But the manager clearly felt it was more important to get an injection of creativity than have the same player just making unremarkable passes while his attackers stood waiting for service that never came. Portugal will need to figure out a winning formula from the middle of the park or else it does not stand a chance going against La Roja. WIN FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ FINAL TICKETS & OTHER PRIZESCompete against the world. | Sports IllustratedPortugal Player Ratings vs. Croatia (4-2-3-1)Portugal won it at the death. | Patrick Smith/FIFA/Getty Images*Ratings provided by FotMob*GK: Diogo Costa—8.2: Had nothing to do in the first half but immediately came up huge after the restart, a trend that progressed throughout the second half. Made incredible saves to keep Portugal in the game long enough for it to find a winner. RB: João Cancelo—6.5: Lost track of Perišić and paid the price. Hardly saw the ball going forward since so much of Portugal’s attack was down the left, but delivered the best chance of the first half. CB: Rúben Dias—7.4: Picked up an early yellow card but valiantly held his ground. Made countless interventions inside his own half and took care of the ball when it was at his feet. CB: Renato Veiga—7.4: Fell to his knees after skying a free header in the first half. Won his team the penalty that got Portugal back in the game. LB: Nuno Mendes—7.5: Delivered sensational service into the box, both from open play and on set pieces. Created the most chances in the game and held Nikola Vlašić quiet. CM: João Neves—6.5: Much of his defensive prowess wasn’t needed in the first half but stepped up in the second. Made five tackles, only lost three of his 10 duels and outshined his partner in midfield. CM: Vitinha—7.6: Controlled the tempo but with little influence. In fairness, he had two men marking him almost every time he touched the ball. His presence was missed once he came out. RW: Pedro Neto—6.6: Walking back in transition in the build-up to Croatia’s goal. Yanked from the game just nine minutes later, ending an an anonymous outing. AM: Bruno Fernandes—7.1: Should have scored early. Otherwise, did not play to his standards. Completely frustrated by Croatia’s defense. Had little chemistry with his frontline. LW: Rafael Leão—6.4: Saw a sublime effort denied by the crossbar. Looked in the mood but wilted for long stretches until he delivered a sensational ball to set up Ramos’s winner. ST: Cristiano Ronaldo—6.3: Denied his first World Cup knockout goal by the offside flag, but got his moment from the spot. Buried Portugal’s equalizer with the poise of a clinical winner. Saved himself from more criticism after another uneventful game.SUB: Bernardo Silva (62’ for Vitinha)—6.9: Only managed eight passes in an underwhelming cameo. SUB: Francisco Conceição (62’ for Neto)—6.2: His decision-making let him down in the final third. Nearly buried a third for Portugal in the 102nd minute.SUB: Nélson Semedo (62’ for Fernandes)—6.5: A liability in the air, but held firm in defense even when on the back foot. SUB: Gonçalo Ramos (62’ for Cancelo)—6.6: Put on his cape and scored the winner to send Portugal to the round of 16. SUB: Rúben Neves (81’ for Ronaldo)—6.6: Came on to help stabilize the midfield and did his job. Subs not used: José Sá (GK), Rui Silva (GK), Diogo Dalot, Gonçalo Inácio, Tomás Araújo, Matheus Nunes, Samú, Gonçalo Guedes, Trincão, João Félix.What the Ratings Tell UsRafael Leão set up Portugal’s winner. | Buda Mendes/Getty ImagesJust an hour after news broke of his potential retirement from the international stage at the end of the tournament, Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up when his number was called to become the oldest goalscorer in a knockout game. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was hardly his side’s best player, but he converted under pressure with the hopes of an entire nation on his shoulders. Rafael Leão earned his first start of the tournament, getting Martínez’s trust in the team’s biggest game of the summer. The forward did little to repay his manager for the first 90 minutes of the game. He had positive flashes, but he posed little threat on the left wing until he sent in a inch-perfect cross in stoppage time to breathe life into his team. That one pass might have just won him the starting job moving forward. Nuno Mendes continued etching his legacy as the best left back in the world. Nearly every ball the PSG star delivered found its target, and for large spells of the game, he seemed the only player capable of carving the defense. Surrounded by lackluster performers, Mendes shined at both ends of the pitch. The Numbers That Explain Portugal’s Last-Gasp WinPortugal only managed three shots on target in over 100 minutes of soccer. Ronaldo deserves some of the blame, but there was virtually no service coming from his wingers or his midfielders for much of the game. Croatia sent double the amount of shots on target, but Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa played hero on multiple occasions to keep his side in the game. He only conceded one goal despite the visitors creating four big chances. StatisticPortugalCroatiaPossession60%40%Expected Goals (xG)2.181.34Total Shots1513Shots on Target36Big Chances54Passing Accuracy91%85%Fouls Committed612Corners95READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow