Portugal Scrape Through as Ramos Rescues Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty but otherwise cut a frustrating figure as Portugal laboured to a 2-1 victory over Croatia to advance to the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup. It was Gonçalo Ramos, Milan’s new £60m striker, who ultimately saved the day, glancing a header into the corner in stoppage time to send Croatia crashing out.
According to The Guardian’s Football Daily, Ronaldo’s involvement beyond the spot-kick was largely a hindrance, slowing Portugal’s attack down and drawing scrutiny when he was substituted on 81 minutes with visible displeasure. Croatia made Portugal pay for their inconsistency, having two goals correctly ruled out by the narrowest of margins and striking the post before Ramos’s late intervention.
Despite the win, the performance underlined what many observers have been saying for some time — that Portugal’s considerable talent in midfield and at left-back is being undersold by persisting with Ronaldo as the central attacking option. Roberto Martínez, the Portugal head coach, faces growing pressure to reconsider his reliance on a player now reduced, on this evidence, to penalty duties and moments of peripheral involvement.
There was, however, a deeply human postscript to the evening. After the final whistle, Ronaldo wore the No 21 shirt of Diogo Jota — his former Portugal teammate — in tribute on the first anniversary of the Liverpool forward’s death. Ronaldo acknowledged the significance of the moment, saying the result “means a lot to us — not only because we won the game but because of the way we did it.”
The irony, as The Guardian pointedly noted, is that had Jota still been available, Ronaldo might not have started at all.
Portugal now face Spain in the last 16, a considerably sterner test than Croatia. Whether Martínez sticks with Ronaldo or opts to build around younger, more dynamic options could define how far this talented Portuguese squad goes in the tournament.
For UK bettors keeping a close eye on the competition, the Portugal-Spain last-16 tie shapes up as one of the most compelling fixtures of the round. Keep tabs on all the action via our World Cup 2026 hub and check the latest scores and brackets on our live standings.