07/02/26 08:48:00
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07/02 20:46 CDT Ramos, Ronaldo score as Portugal rallies to beat Croatia 2-1
and advance to round of 16
Ramos, Ronaldo score as Portugal rallies to beat Croatia 2-1 and advance to
round of 16
LEXIE LINDERMAN
Associated Press
TORONTO (AP) --- Goncalo Ramos headed in the stoppage-time winner as Portugal
beat Croatia 2-1 in a wild finish that also included a Croatian goal disallowed
for offside just before the final whistle in a World Cup round of 32 match on
Thursday night.
The game featured a matchup 40-somethings Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, in his
sixth World Cup, and Croatia's Luka Modric, making his fifth bid for a
tournament title.
Ronaldo initially tied things up in the 68th minute on a penalty kick and give
the megastar his first knockout stage goal at the World Cup before being subbed
out in the 81st minute. But, it was Ramos who gave Portugal the victory and a
berth in the round of 16.
The game ended in controversy as Croatia thought it had tied things up 2-2 in
the very last moments, but Mario Pasalic was called offside as VAR ruled no
goal. Croatia fans threw bottles on the field and whistled in protest.
Croatia opened the scoring in the 53rd minute when Ivan Perisic scored off a
cross from Josip Sanisic.
Ronaldo, booed loudly by Croatia fans every time he touched the ball, got his
chance from the spot after Nikola Vlasic was called for a handball inside the
box. Portugal's megastar hitched his step and converted down the middle as the
goalkeeper went to his right.
Portugal moves on to face Spain on Monday in the round of 16.
Modric led Croatia to second- and third-place finishes in 2018 and 2022, and
the match carried the weight of the two aging stars each trying to realize the
dream of winning the World Cup. Modric is 40, while Ronaldo is 41.
The men, who were teammates at Real Madrid, shared a few smiles and an embrace
ahead of the coin toss before the match. The two met on the pitch after the
match, and hugged and exchanged a few words.
"I played with Luca so many years," Ronaldo said. "We're nearly the same age. I
think he's a legend of football. He's still a legend of football."
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Lexie Linderman is a student in John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at
Penn State.
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See more of AP's World Cup coverage here
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