Portugal reached the round of 16 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with great difficulty, overcoming a deficit against Croatia to win 2-1 on Thursday in Toronto, after a dramatic match ended. The Croatian national team opened the scoring in the 53rd minute through veteran Ivan Perisic, who crossed a ball into the penalty area, received the ball and shot it into the net, giving his team the advantage after a first half in which the Portuguese national team had significant possession of the ball. The Portuguese team tried to return quickly, and its captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, scored a goal ten minutes after Perisic's goal, but the referee canceled the goal after resorting to the "mouse" technique. The Portuguese team did not give up, and continued its pressure until they won a penalty kick in the 68th minute, which Ronaldo advanced to and successfully shot it into the net, scoring his third goal in the current edition of the tournament and his 11th in his six World Cup appearances. The Portuguese national team will meet its Spanish counterpart in the round of sixteen, which will be held next Monday, in the American city of Dallas.