Portugal Beat Croatia, Set Up Spain Clash

Portugal battled into the last 16 of the World Cup on Thursday after a dramatic 2-1 win over Croatia in Toronto.

Goncalo Ramos headed in the winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time after Cristiano Ronaldo had earlier drawn Portugal level from the penalty spot.

The victory set up a last-16 clash with European champions Spain in Dallas on Monday.

Croatia had taken the lead in the 53rd minute through Ivan Perisic before Ronaldo equalised from the penalty spot in the 68th minute.

Ramos then glanced home a late header to put Portugal ahead, sparking wild celebrations among the Portuguese players and fans.

Croatia thought they had forced extra time when Josko Gvardiol prodded the ball into the net deep in stoppage time, but the effort was ruled out for offside after a lengthy VAR review.

After the final whistle, an emotional Ronaldo held up and wore a Portugal shirt bearing the number 21 in tribute to late teammate Diogo Jota.

Ronaldo said, “We knew it before the game. It was a so special moment. We speak today, our group, about that, the coincidence of life, it’s unbelievable.

“I was amazed by the situation today. It means a lot to us, not only because we won the game, but also the way we won the game. It was a difficult game, we knew it.”

Spain Thrash Austria

Spain reached the last 16 with a 3-0 win over Austria in Los Angeles.

Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice, while Pedro Porro also found the net as Spain produced one of their best performances of the tournament.

Oyarzabal opened the scoring in the 36th minute before Porro headed in the second in the 66th minute.

Oyarzabal later completed his brace from Marc Cucurella’s cross.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente praised his side’s display, saying they were close to perfect.

“We played a magnificent match. I am happy because, in every aspect, we came close to perfection,” he said.

“Every match from now on will be more complicated. Every match will be a bit more demanding. We are moving into a more critical phase” of the World Cup, he added.

De la Fuente said Spain could still improve despite the convincing win.

“That is our spirit, the belief that we haven’t hit our ceiling yet. We need to improve naturally. We are ambitious,” he said.