Gonçalo Ramos scored near the end as Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Portugal will face Spain in the Round of 16 on July 6. Croatia stayed in the match until the end. Ramos’ goal sent Portugal through and ended Croatia’s World Cup campaign.
Portugal win close match
Portugal and Croatia both created chances in a tight knockout match. The score was level before Ramos scored the goal that sent Portugal into the last 16.
Portugal had reached the Round of 32 after finishing top of Group K. The team progressed ahead of DR Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia. The result gave Portugal its first knockout win of the tournament. It also set up a major Round of 16 match against Spain.
Ramos scores near the end
Ramos made the difference for Portugal near the end. His goal completed Portugal’s comeback and stopped the match from going into extra time. The forward scored a hat-trick against Switzerland in the Round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup. He started that match ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal have several experienced players who have played deep into major tournaments. The team will need another strong performance against Spain, which beat Austria 3-0 in the Round of 32.
Croatia exit World Cup
Croatia reached the knockout stage after finishing second in Group L. The team progressed behind England and ahead of Ghana and Panama. The 2018 World Cup runners-up scored once against Portugal but could not find another goal after Ramos put Portugal ahead. The defeat ended Croatia’s tournament before the Round of 16.
Croatia reached the semi-finals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The team lost to Argentina before beating Morocco in the third-place playoff.
Spain face Portugal next
Portugal will play Spain in the Round of 16 on July 6. Spain reached this stage after beating Austria 3-0 in the opening knockout round.
The team that wins will play in a quarter-final on July 10. The other Round of 16 game on this side of the draw is United States against Belgium. Portugal and Spain last met at the World Cup in 2018. Their group-stage match ended 3-3 after Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick for Portugal.
