Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup adventure continues after Portugal fought back from a goal down to defeat Croatia 2-1 in the round of 32 at Toronto Stadium on Friday, in a match that ended in controversy, heartbreak, and one extraordinary late twist.

The tie will be remembered above all for a VAR intervention in the 113th minute that disallowed what appeared to be a Josko Gvardiol equaliser — a moment that ended Croatia's tournament and, in all likelihood, brought down the curtain on Luka Modric's World Cup career.

Perisic opens the scoring

The first half was largely uneventful, with Dominik Livakovic denying Bruno Fernandes with the game's only real chance in the 4th minute. Croatia grew into the match and took the lead eight minutes into the second half when Ivan Perisic finished with authority to make it 1-0.

Portugal responded with urgency. Rafael Leao rattled the crossbar with a thunderous effort from a tight angle before the hosts were twice denied by the offside flag — Vlasic in the 57th minute and Sucic in the 80th.

Ronaldo's landmark penalty

Order was restored in the 66th minute when VAR awarded Portugal a penalty after Nikola Vlasic brought down Renato Veiga inside the area. Ronaldo stepped up in the 68th minute and dispatched the spot-kick with composure — his first-ever goal in a World Cup knockout match, a remarkable statistic for a player appearing in his sixth World Cup at the age of 41.

Manager Roberto Martinez made four changes simultaneously in the 63rd minute, withdrawing Fernandes, Neto, Vitinha, and João Cancelo to introduce Nelson Semedo, Diogo Silva, Francisco Conceicao, and Goncalo Ramos. Ronaldo himself was substituted off in the 82nd minute, visibly frustrated, with the score still level.

Ramos strikes, then late chaos

His exit proved well-timed. In the 90+4' minute, Ramos glanced a Leao cross into the net to put Portugal ahead for the first time, sending the Portuguese contingent inside Toronto Stadium into raptures.

Croatia refused to surrender. Gvardiol, introduced from the bench, tapped home in the 90+14' minute to level at 2-2 and seemingly send the match into extra time — until the referee was directed to the pitchside monitor by Premier League official Jarred Gillet. Norwegian referee Espen Eskaas reviewed the build-up and ruled that Igor Matanovic had touched Ivan Perisic's cross, rendering assister Mario Pasalic offside despite the ball deflecting off Portugal's Veiga. The goal was chalked off and Portugal's players mobbed each other in disbelief and relief.

Modric's farewell and a Spain rematch

For Modric, the 40-year-old Croatia captain and one of the finest midfielders in the history of the game, the final whistle almost certainly sounded on his last World Cup match. There were no goals, no glory — just the cruel arithmetic of VAR.

Portugal will now face Spain in the last 16, a rematch of the 2025 UEFA Nations League final, a competition Portugal won. Ronaldo, against all expectations, will be there.