Ronaldo delivers, Ramos finishes as Portugal knock out Croatia

At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo has earned at least one more match in a Portugal jersey after converting a penalty, with Goncalo Ramos sealing a dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia with a stoppage-time header and a VAR decision that left the Croatians fuming.

Ramos headed home the winner deep into stoppage time in a chaotic finish to Thursday night’s World Cup round-of-32 clash. Moments later, Croatia thought it had forced extra time, only for a late equalizer to be ruled out for offside after a VAR review.

The match also showcased two of football’s enduring icons, with 41-year-old Ronaldo appearing at his sixth World Cup and 40-year-old Luka Modric making his fifth attempt to lead Croatia to the sport’s biggest prize.

Ronaldo leveled the score in the 68th minute from the penalty spot, scoring his first career World Cup knockout-stage goal before being substituted in the 81st minute as Portugal pushed for a late winner.

“I never felt any of that (fear),” he said. “Yes, nervous. But as always, you have to be very positive for things to go well.”

Still, it was Ramos who secured Portugal’s victory and a berth in the round of 16.

“I love that type of moment. I love those types of games,” he said. “I want to play every game like that.”

Portugal will face Spain on Monday.

“In the first half we dominated the game. In the second half, after the goal, we got a little panicked, but this is football,” Ronaldo said. “After the penalty, I think it was a little bit better for us. We created a few chances, and I think, at the end of the day, we deserved to win the match.”

In a postgame interview with Fox, Ronaldo turned around to reveal he was wearing a Diogo Jota jersey bearing No. 21, one year after his teammate died in a car crash.

“We knew this before the game. It was such a special moment. We spoke today with our group about the coincidence of life. It’s unbelievable.”

Things turned chaotic after Ramos scored. While Portugal and its fans celebrated the goal, Croatia thought it had equalized 2-2 in the closing seconds. But after a 2 1/2-minute delay, Mario Pasalic was ruled offside following a VAR review, and the goal was disallowed. Croatia fans threw bottles onto the field and whistled in protest.

Croatia midfielder Petar Sucic said, “The referee said he didn’t see anyone touch the ball. He said there was a sensor in the ball,” which led to the offside ruling. “For me, it’s a regular goal.”

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said it was indeed the chip inside the ball that triggered the decision.

“I need to tell them (Croatia fans) the message is very clear: The ball now has a chip, and it’s very clear that’s why the VAR intervened,” he said. “It’s not a subjective opinion.”

Croatia opened the scoring in the 53rd minute when Ivan Perisic scored from a cross by Josip Stanisic.

Ronaldo, who was loudly booed by Croatia fans every time he touched the ball, got his chance from the penalty spot after Nikola Vlasic was called for holding inside the penalty area. Portugal’s star stutter-stepped before calmly converting down the middle as the goalkeeper dove to his right.

Modric led Croatia to second- and third-place finishes in 2018 and 2022, and the match carried the weight of two aging stars chasing the one major prize that has eluded them. Modric is 40.

The former Real Madrid teammates shared smiles and an embrace before the coin toss. After the match, they met again on the pitch, hugged and exchanged a few words.

“I played with Luka for so many years,” Ronaldo said. “We’re nearly the same age. I think he’s a legend of football. He’s still a legend of football.”

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said this was “probably” Modric’s last World Cup but added, “Only God knows what will happen in the next four years. We’ll see. We’ll talk about it in Croatia.”

DAILYSABAH