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Portugal have advanced to the World Cup Round of 16 following a dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia in Toronto.

The ongoing World Cup round-of-32 continued to produce thrilling late moments as Portugal narrowly defeated Croatia to set up a mouth-watering knockout clash with Spain on 6 July in Arlington.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup hopes seemed to be fading when Josko Gvardiol appeared to grab a late equaliser in the 15th minute of stoppage time.

Roberto Martinez’s side had already faced several anxious moments earlier in the match after falling behind to Ivan Perisic’s strike early in the second half.

Ronaldo also had a goal ruled out for offside shortly before he managed to level the scores from the spot, after Nikola Vlasic was penalised for pulling down Renato Veiga inside the area.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s penalty brought Portugal back into the contest, and though he was later substituted, the Selecao completed their comeback when Goncalo Ramos struck in the 94th minute to seal the win.

However, the drama was far from over. Deep into added time, Gvardiol reacted quickest to divert Mario Pasalic’s cross into the net, seemingly forcing extra time. But amid the celebrations, Premier League referee Jarred Gillett advised match official Espen Eskas to check the incident on the pitch-side VAR monitor.

After a detailed review, the Norwegian referee ruled that Pasalic had received the ball from a slight header by teammate Igor Matanovic, placing him in an offside position. The goal was therefore disallowed.

The decision infuriated Croatia supporters, who hurled plastic bottles onto the pitch in protest, causing a brief delay before play could resume. Once order was restored, Portugal’s victory—and their progression to the last 16—was confirmed.

Ronaldo, who was named Player of the Match, later addressed rumours stemming from comments made by his sister Katia Aveiro, firmly denying any plans to retire from international football after this World Cup.