For most of the night in Toronto, it looked as if two of the game's great veterans might exit the World Cup together. Instead, one got a reprieve — and the other went home.
A stoppage-time winner
Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in their round-of-32 match, with Gonçalo Ramos rising to head home the winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time, NBC Sports reported. The goal, coming just as extra time loomed, sent Portugal's supporters into delirium and settled a tight, tense contest that had swung both ways.
Cristiano Ronaldo had put Portugal level earlier from the penalty spot in the second half — a milestone strike, his first goal in a World Cup knockout match after years of coming up empty in the tournament's later rounds. Croatia had led and, in the closing moments, thought they had snatched a dramatic equalizer of their own, only for the goal to be ruled out for the faintest of offsides.
Modric's last dance ends
The result carried an elegiac note. Croatia's Luka Modric, one of the finest midfielders of his generation, saw his World Cup — and, in all likelihood, his tournament career — come to a close. The match had the feel of a passing of eras, two 40-something greats sharing the stage one last time, with only one allowed to continue.
Spain next
Portugal's prize is a heavyweight round-of-16 meeting with neighbor Spain, an Iberian derby that instantly becomes one of the tournament's marquee ties. Under manager Roberto Martínez, Portugal have advanced without always convincing, riding moments of quality and, on Thursday, sheer late resolve. Against a Spain side that has looked among the tournament's sharpest, that will need to be more.
For now, though, Portugal can savor the kind of finish that defines World Cups — a header in the last seconds, a veteran's long-awaited goal, and a place in the next round secured when it seemed to be slipping away.
