Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal survived a late Croatia storm in Toronto to trigger a mouth-watering bracket collision.
Image: AFP
Portugal battled into the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup with a drama-filled 2-1 victory over Croatia on Thursday night to officially set up a titanic showdown with reigning European champions Spain.
In another nerve-shredding tournament classic, Gonçalo Ramos headed Portugal into the lead in the fourth minute of stoppage time, before Croatia saw a last-gasp equaliser agonisingly ruled out for offside at Toronto's BMO Field.
Portugal's 41-year-old superstar captain Cristiano Ronaldo had earlier helped haul his squad back into the contest, burying a 68th-minute penalty to cancel out Croatia's 53rd-minute opener from Ivan Perišić. Ronaldo later joined frenzied celebrations after Ramos glanced home a sensational header deep into injury time to give the Portuguese the lead.
However, Ronaldo and his team-mates were left momentarily stunned when Joško Gvardiol prodded home an apparent equaliser deep in stoppage time. Yet, there was one final, dramatic twist when the goal was chalked off for offside after a lengthy VAR review, to the sheer disbelief of Croatia's players and their large contingent of traveling fans.
After the final whistle, an emotional Ronaldo held up and pulled on a Portugal shirt bearing the number 21—a poignant tribute to late team-mate Diogo Jota, the Liverpool forward who tragically died in a car crash almost a year to the day from Thursday's win, on July 3 last year.
"We knew it before the fixture. It was such a special moment. We spoke today within our group about that—the coincidence of life, it's unbelievable," Ronaldo reflected afterwards on the tribute to Jota. "I was amazed because of the situation today. It means an immense amount to us, not only because we won the match, but also because of the way we won it. It was a fiercely difficult game, we knew it."
The result ensures that Ronaldo's incredible World Cup career will be extended for at least one more fixture when the Portuguese face fierce Iberian rivals Spain in the round of 16 in Dallas on Monday. Ronaldo's second-half penalty made him the oldest man to score in a World Cup knockout match. Crucially, the goal also marked the first time Ronaldo had ever scored in a World Cup knockout fixture during his glittering career.
Spain had earlier cruised into the blockbuster meeting with a scintillating 3-0 win over Austria in Los Angeles, firmly confirming their status as tournament favourites for the global title.
Two goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and a Pedro Porro header sealed a comprehensive victory for the Spaniards, who produced their most complete performance of the tournament to advance to the next round. Spain opened their World Cup campaign with a faltering goalless draw against Cape Verde, but have subsequently built formidable momentum with each passing match.
With Hollywood stars Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem amongst the 70,492 crowd at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium, Spain were always in absolute control against a limited Austrian side who failed to register a single shot on goal.
Oyarzabal fired Spain into the lead in the 36th minute, sweeping in a clinical low finish to crown a slick passing move. More deft inter-play set up Porro to head home the second in the 66th minute, before Real Sociedad striker Oyarzabal grabbed his second by coolly tucking away a low finish from Marc Cucurella's pinpoint cross.
"We played a magnificent match. I am happy because, in every single aspect, we came incredibly close to perfection," said Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente. "Every match from now on will be far more complicated and demanding. We are moving into a highly critical phase of the World Cup."
De la Fuente insisted his Spain side can still get better in every department.
"That is our core spirit—the belief that we haven't hit our competitive ceiling yet. We need to improve naturally. We are highly ambitious," he said.
The late match on Thursday will see Algeria take on Switzerland, attempting to avoid becoming the latest African nation to fall by the wayside in the knockout rounds following the recent tournament exits of Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Senegal. Of the African contingent, only Morocco have successfully advanced to the round of 16. Algeria have never won a World Cup knockout game in four previous trips to the tournament finals.