Portugal found itself with its back against the wall, but they fought back, turned the score around against Croatia, and celebrated a remarkable advancement to the World Cup Round of 16. Roberto Martínez’s team prevailed 2-1 and is now preparing for the big Iberian derby against Spain in the knockout stage.

The Croatians opened the scoring with a goal by Ivan Perišić in the 53rd minute, making things difficult for the Portuguese, who nevertheless managed to respond and tied the game in the 68th minute, when Cristiano Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot to make it 1-1.

Despite his captain’s goal, Roberto Martínez made a bold decision in the 81st minute. He took Ronaldo off the field, a move that surprised and clearly displeased the 41-year-old, who walked off to the bench with a scowl. After the substitution, Gonzalo Ramos took on the role of lone striker, and the Portuguese coach was fully vindicated.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time, the Paris striker was in the right place at the right time, and his goal sealed the comeback, giving Portugal a dramatic but absolutely invaluable victory. In fact, in the 90’+13′, Josko Gvardiol sent the ball into the net and seemingly sent the match into extra time, but the goal was correctly ruled offside following a VAR review.

A One-Sided Match for Portugal

The first hint of a threat came from Croatia, with a cutback by Vlasic and a weak shot by Budimir, which Costa comfortably blocked in the 3rd minute. This was followed by a huge chance for Portugal in the 4th minute, with Leão making a nice run down the left and cleverly cutting it back to Bruno Fernandes, who, however, failed to find the back of the net on two attempts, as he was first denied by Livaković and then by a defender.

The runs by Leão and Neto down the flanks troubled the Balkan side from early on, with the latter’s dangerous cross in the 9th minute sailing just over the head of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was ready to meet it.

The pattern remained exactly the same for quite some time, with Portugal controlling possession and Croatia ceding it and waiting in their own half, with the ultimate goal of defending effectively. It wasn’t until after the cooling break in the first half that the Croatians began to venture further out of their own area, though without posing any real threat to the Portuguese.

In contrast, Portugal remained dangerous. In the 30th minute, following a brilliant through ball from Mendez to Cancelo, the latter delivered a clever cross, but Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo failed to connect with the ball. The Portuguese were able to penetrate the box whenever they wanted, but they couldn’t find the finishing touch that would have given them the lead, as was the case, for example, in the 45’+1’, when Leão, from a prime position, sent the ball… way over the crossbar.

A different story in the second half

The second half got off to a very promising start. Just seconds after the kickoff, Mendes dribbled past everyone in his path and found himself in a scoring position, but he chose to pass to Cristiano instead, helping the Croatians regain possession. On the other end, the Croatians missed their best chance of the match so far. The pressure forced the Portuguese into a mistake and put Kovačić in a shooting position, but Diogo Costa made a save with his foot and kept his goal intact in the 48th minute.

Croatia’s improved play was confirmed in the 53rd minute. After a very nice direct attack by “Hrvatska,” the ball found its way to Stanisic, who crossed it to Perisic. Cancelo lost track of him, and the experienced Croatian punished him, sending the ball into the net with a powerful shot to make it 0-1.

Frenetic Pace

Portugal responded and had a great chance to equalize when Leão hit the crossbar with a powerful shot in the 58th minute. Croatia responded with a good effort by Sučić, but Diogo Costa cleared it for a corner.

Martínez decided to take a risk and made four substitutions to make his team more attacking. A few minutes later, a careless pull by Vlasic on Veiga resulted in a penalty awarded via VAR to the Iberians, with Cristiano Ronaldo stepping up to take it and tying the score at 1-1 in the 68th minute.

Portugal’s goal seemed to have the opposite effect than expected, as Croatia was the team that gained the upper hand. In the 75th minute, Kovacic was denied by the crossbar and Diogo Costa on a tremendous double chance, while the Croatian goalkeeper also made a save on Matanović’s thunderous shot two minutes later.

The Croatians continued to press, with Pasalić missing a huge chance with a close-range header in the 89th minute. In the end, “Hrvatska” paid the price for its lack of accuracy, as Gonçalo Ramos connected on an incredible header in the 94th minute and sending the ball into the net off an assist from Leão, securing a 2-1 victory for Portugal.

*photo source: AP