Portugal beat Croatia in dramatic finish to reach World Cup last 16

Portugal booked their place in the last 16 of the World Cup with a dramatic victory over Croatia, the BBC reports, coming through a tense and eventful match that was decided in its closing stages. The result sends Portugal into the knockout rounds and ends Croatia's involvement at a punishing moment in the contest.

The match had the hallmarks of a classic tournament knockout-style encounter even at the group stage, with two experienced sides trading control and chances. Croatia, long one of international football's most durable teams, pushed Portugal hard, and the game turned on fine margins and decisions that will be replayed and debated well after the final whistle.

Cristiano Ronaldo was again at the centre of Portugal's story. The veteran forward, whose longevity at the top of the international game has been a talking point throughout the tournament, remained a focal point of his side's attack and of the occasion itself, his involvement shaping both the play and the narrative around Portugal's progress.

The defining moment of the closing stages came when Croatia thought they had found an equaliser, only for the goal to be ruled out after review. The intervention of the video assistant referee, checking the effort against the laws of the game, denied Croatia what would have been a crucial leveller and preserved Portugal's advantage at the most pressured point of the match.

Such late VAR drama has become a familiar feature of the modern game, and it framed the finish here. For Croatia, the disallowed goal was an agonising way to see their hopes slip; for Portugal, it was the difference between comfort and jeopardy, and it allowed them to see out the remaining minutes and secure passage to the next round.

The victory continued an emotional chapter for the Portuguese squad, who have played this tournament against a backdrop the BBC has noted extends beyond the pitch, with the team paying tribute to Diogo Jota. Moments of remembrance have accompanied their matches, adding a dimension of feeling to results that the players have spoken about as motivation.

Croatia's exit, if confirmed by their group situation, marks the end of a run for a nation that has punched far above its size in recent international tournaments, reaching the latter stages of major competitions with a golden generation of players. Their competitiveness in this match underlined that pedigree even in defeat, and they pressed Portugal to the very end.

For Portugal, reaching the last 16 is the immediate reward, but the manner of the win carries its own lessons. Games decided by fine margins and refereeing calls can flatter or expose a side, and Portugal's coaching staff will weigh the resilience shown against the areas where Croatia found openings, as the tournament moves into its more unforgiving phase.

The knockout stage raises the stakes sharply. From this point a single defeat ends a campaign, and Portugal will need to combine Ronaldo's threat with defensive solidity and composure under pressure of the kind that was tested against Croatia. The draw and the identity of their next opponent will shape how far this Portuguese side can go.

For now, though, Portugal can savour a hard-fought win that keeps their World Cup alive. The BBC's account captures a match that had drama, quality and controversy in equal measure — the kind of contest that defines tournament football and that both sets of players will remember, for very different reasons, for a long time to come.