The 2026 World Cup Round of 32 knockout match is underway at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada, featuring a historic first-ever World Cup meeting between Portugal and Croatia. Cristiano Ronaldo leads Portugal into battle, while Luka Modrić, on the verge of turning 41, captains Croatia in a resilient fight. Portugal currently lead Croatia 2-1.
From the first whistle, both sides launched into the knockout clash at full throttle. Portugal's Rafael Leão was extremely active early on, constantly driving down the left flank and delivering several dangerous crosses into the box. Bruno Fernandes had a high-quality chance saved by the goalkeeper and another blocked. Croatia managed to push the ball into dangerous areas a few times, but the majority of high-quality chances in the opening stages were created by Portugal. This was reflected in the stats: Portugal registered six shots, while Croatia managed just two.
The match reached the first water break, offering a three-minute pause for both sides to catch their breath. The pace had been frantic, with Portugal clearly dominating proceedings.
After the restart, Croatia hit back quickly. Petar Sučić received a pass from Ante Budimir, was crowded out at the edge of the Portugal box, and fed Martin Baturina, whose left-footed shot was superbly blocked by Renato Veiga. Portugal then threatened again when João Cancelo, after latching onto a clever long ball, cut inside and delivered a cross that both Bruno Fernandes and Ronaldo attacked but neither could get a touch on.
Notably, this attempt marked Ronaldo's 30th shot in World Cup knockout stages – the most by any player since 1966 without yet scoring in the knockout rounds. Fernandes, in excellent form, already had two shots, his second-most in a World Cup match after the 2022 game against Uruguay.
Despite creating multiple chances, Portugal couldn't break the deadlock. Between the 15th and 30th minutes, they enjoyed 72% possession. By halftime, they had taken seven shots and boasted a passing accuracy of 94.0%. From several corners, Fernandes's deliveries were cleared, and Nuno Mendes' long-range effort was blocked. In another attack, Fernandes's low cross was parried by Dominik Livaković, and the follow-up was blocked behind for a corner by Ivan Perišić.
Croatia had yet to register a shot on target; Budimir's early opportunity never really threatened the goal. In stoppage time, Pedro Neto's cross was headed clear by Josip Stanišić, and Leão volleyed wide at the back post.
As the half drew to a close, Portugal fans and manager Roberto Martínez must have been wondering: why is it still 0-0? As time passed, the deadlock only heightened Portuguese anxiety. Croatia, meanwhile, were content to head into the break level.
At the start of the second half, Croatia were clearly prepared for another wave of Portuguese pressure. Then, in the 53rd minute, Perišić broke the deadlock. Croatia gradually intensified their pressing game and took the lead. Stanišić delivered a brilliant cross, the ball was nodded to the far post, and an entirely unmarked Perišić controlled it with his chest before calmly firing a low shot into the bottom right corner. Croatia 1-0 Portugal.
The goal was fully deserved for Croatia's positive start to the second half, as they exploited a gap in the Portuguese defense to strike decisively. The match had turned instantly, with Portugal now under huge pressure to mount a quick response to avoid elimination.
Portugal fought back resiliently after going behind. Renato Veiga was clearly pulled back by Croatia's Nikola Vlašić inside the box, and after a VAR review, a penalty was awarded. The 41-year-old Ronaldo stepped up and calmly slotted the ball down the middle, sending Livaković the wrong way to make it 1-1! It was Ronaldo's first goal in a World Cup knockout match – a historic breakthrough that shattered the curse and injected new belief into Portugal.
In the 94th minute, Leão delivered a precise cross from the right, and Gonçalo Ramos rose high inside the box to meet it with a powerful header into the bottom right corner, putting Portugal ahead 2-1.
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