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World Cup: Gonçalo Ramos sends Portugal into Spain showdown

Former Paris Saint-Germain striker Gonçalo Ramos scored a dramatic late winner as Portugal edged Croatia 2-1 to book a blockbuster FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash with Spain.
G.BOXALL
Published on 07/03/2026 at 01:10
2-minute read
Former Paris Saint-Germain striker Gonçalo Ramos scored a dramatic late winner as Portugal edged Croatia 2-1 to book a blockbuster FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash with Spain.

Portugal's Ligue 1 McDonald's contingent helped Roberto Martinez's side keep their World Cup dream alive after a dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia at Toronto's BMO Field. Paris Saint-Germain trio Nuno Mendes, Vitinha and João Neves all started for the Seleção as Gonçalo Ramos struck a dramatic winner deep into added time to eliminate Luka Modrić's side.

The Portuguese controlled possession throughout the first half, with Mendes particularly influential down the left flank. The PSG full-back repeatedly stretched the Croatian defence, while Vitinha dictated the tempo alongside João Neves in midfield. Rafael Leão also came close to breaking the deadlock before the interval, while Cristiano Ronaldo saw one effort ruled out for offside.

Despite Portugal's dominance, Croatia struck first eight minutes after the restart. Ivan Perišić controlled Joško Stanišić's cross superbly before firing across Diogo Costa to hand the 2018 finalists the advantage.

Portugal continued to press and were rewarded when a lengthy VAR review awarded a penalty after Renato Veiga was pulled back inside the box. Ronaldo calmly converted from the spot to level the scores and register yet another goal on football's biggest stage.

late Ramos strike wins it

Martinez then refreshed his side with a quadruple substitution, introducing new AC Milan signing Gonçalo Ramos, who only completed his permanent move from Paris Saint-Germain earlier this week. Croatia thought they had restored their lead through Petar Sučić, only for VAR to rule the effort out for offside, before Mateo Kovačić rattled the post as the match swung from end to end.

With extra time looming, Portugal looked to have snatched victory when Rafael Leão burst clear down the left before combining with his new Milan teammate Ramos, who swept home in the 94th minute. The former PSG striker, who left the French champions after winning two UEFA Champions League titles and 12 trophies, appeared to have sent Portugal through.

However, there was one final twist. Joško Gvardiol bundled home deep into stoppage time to spark wild Croatian celebrations, only for a lengthy VAR review to rule the defender narrowly offside. The dramatic intervention preserved Portugal's lead and sealed a blockbuster Round of 16 meeting with Spain.

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>>World Cup: Spain cruise past Austria to book last-16 clash with Portugal or Croatia

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