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Portugal, Ronaldo survive late scare from Croatia
Key takeaways
- 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.
- It was the 10th goal overruled by VAR so far at the 2026 World Cup.
- Croatia opened the scoring in the 53rd minute when Ivan Perisic scored in the 53rd minute off a cross from Josip Sanisic.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Croatia (0:34)
TORONTO -- Goncalo Ramos headed in a pass from Rafael Leao in stoppage time as Cristiano Ronaldo, who had earlier converted a penalty kick, watched from the bench while Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 on Thursday, ending Luka Modrić's fifth bid for a World Cup.
Ronaldo initially tied things up in the 68th minute on a penalty kick to equalize and give the megastar his first knockout stage goal at the World Cup, but it was Ramos who gave Portugal the victory as they came from behind to win for only the second time in the nations history at the tournament.
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