In the 109th minute of a wild, pulsating, nerve-shredding World Cup match for the ages, referee Espen Eskås finally called time. Portugal advanced to the round of 16 after a 2-1 win against Croatia at Toronto Stadium on Thursday. That doesn’t even begin to tell the story of the most dramatic of clashes that relentlessly swung back and forth and ended in the cruelest way for Croatia when Josko Gvardiol’s would-be game-saving equalizer 13 minutes into added time was ruled out for offside after video review. Croatia legend Luka Modrić, age 40 and likely playing for the last time at a World Cup, looked crestfallen at the final whistle.The 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo lives to fight another day and couldn’t hide his relief when just moments earlier he stood helplessly on the sidelines in anguish, believing Portugal had blown it. Here’s how it all happened:
The First Goal in Added TimeAfter 90 minutes of play, the electronic board signaled 10 minutes of added time, and it was difficult to imagine at that point just how much drama would be packed into the coming minutes.At the 94-minute mark, Rafael Leao sends a curling cross, and substitute Gonçalo Ramos rises highest to meet it, powering a header beyond the dive of the Croatian goalkeeper.Cue wild celebrations from Portugal’s players. They now had to just ride out the final minutes and advance to the next round.
