The Portugal vs Croatia Round of 32 game in the FIFA World Cup 2026 produced a thriller with significant emotions, where Portugal won by 2-1 to edge out the World Cup 2018 runners-up.
Key Match Stats of Portugal vs Croatia (FIFA World Cup 2026: Round of 32)
Match Result: Portugal 2 – 1 Croatia
Possession: Portugal 55% – 37% Croatia (8% in Contest)
Shots (On Target): Portugal 15 (3) – 13 (6) Croatia
Corners Won: Portugal 9 – 5 Croatia
Free Kicks: Portugal 15 – 7Croatia
- Cristiano Ronaldo recorded his first goal in the World Cup knockout stage.
FIFA World Cup 2026 (Round of 32): Portugal vs Croatia Official Match Stats
Important Facts of Portugal vs Croatia (FIFA World Cup 2026: Round of 32)
- Ivan Perisic put Croatia 1-0 ahead in the 53rd minute. Josip Stanisic delivered a good cross, which was flicked, and it reached unmarked Perisic, whose shot opened the scoreline.
- Cristiano Ronaldo equalised the scoreline in the 68th minute from a penalty. Portugal earned the penalty after a foul inside the box, and the Portuguese skipper converted it to level the scoreline.
- Gonçalo Ramos scored Portugal’s winning goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time in the second half. Rafael Leão produced a strong cross, while Ramos’ header resulted in the goal.
- A total of four goals were disallowed, out of which three were for Croatia, and one was for Portugal. The most controversial one was the last moment of the match, where Croatia thought they scored the equaliser goal, but VAR ruled that out for an offside.
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The Match Status: Portugal vs Croatia (FIFA World Cup 2026: Round of 32)
Portugal dominated the first half, while Croatia were strong enough in the second half. Although Portugal had more possession along with other key attacking aspects, Croatia managed more shots on target.
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What does the Portugal vs Croatia (FIFA World Cup 2026: Round of 32) match mean?
Portugal have qualified for the Round of 16 in the FIFA World Cup 2026, where they will face the World Cup 2010 champions Spain on Monday (6 July).