Portugal 2-1 Croatia: Ramos Header in the 94th Minute Breaks Croatian Hearts

If you wanted football drama on Thursday night, BMO Field in Toronto delivered it in the dying seconds. Portugal survived a determined Croatia side to advance 2-1 to the Round of 16, where they will face Spain. The winning goal came in the 94th minute. The LMS players who backed Portugal held their breath for approximately forty minutes longer than was comfortable.

How It Unfolded

The first half was tight, as Croatia games tend to be. Luka Modrić has not lost any pace for losing pace — he is still there, pulling strings, managing the tempo. Portugal had more possession but Croatia had the cleaner defensive structure, and it showed.

Croatia broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute through Ivan Perisic. The veteran winger, who has been doing this at major tournaments since before most of your WhatsApp group knew who he was, struck low and hard past Diogo Costa. Croatia led and looked, for a spell, like they might hold it.

The game turned in the 68th minute when Nikola Vlasic fouled Renato Veiga in the penalty area. The referee pointed to the spot. Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been pointing to spots since roughly the same era as Perisic, converted. 1-1.

The Winner

Extra time looked likely. Then, in the 94th minute, Rafael Leão swung in a cross from the left, and Gonçalo Ramos — who has quietly been one of the best strikers in this tournament — rose above the Croatian defence and powered a header into the net.

Portugal 2-1. Done.

The drama was not quite finished. Josko Gvardiol, Croatia's best player all tournament, prodded the ball home in the 12th minute of stoppage time, sending hearts into mouths around the stadium. The referee chalked it off — Matanovic had made the faintest contact in an offside position before the ball reached Gvardiol. Correct call. Agonising for Croatia. The final whistle followed almost immediately.

What This Means for LMS

Croatia were not the obvious LMS pick here — Portugal were the favourites and most pools players would have backed them — but anyone who took a punt on Croatia as a value pick ended their run on Thursday night. Perisic gave them the lead and the belief, and it nearly held.

For Portugal backers: your survivor is still in. But the Round of 16 brings Spain. As of Thursday evening, Spain had just demolished Austria 3-0. This is where things get considerably harder for Ronaldo and company.

Croatia's Tournament

Croatia came through a difficult Group L (alongside England) and reached the Round of 32 of a World Cup for the second consecutive tournament. For a country of four million people, consistently competing at this level is remarkable. Modrić will be 41 at the next World Cup. This may be the last time we see him at the tournament. He was excellent again. It was not enough.

Next Up: Spain vs Portugal

The Round of 16 Iberian derby is the standout fixture of the next stage. Spain have been ruthless; Portugal have been dramatic. One of them will be out before the quarterfinals. That is a beautiful and terrible thing, depending on your allegiances — and your Last Man Standing picks.

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