From The Sports Desk: Portugal advances, Croatia sent packing after dramatic finish

World CupFrom The Sports Desk: Portugal advances, Croatia sent packing after dramatic finish Cristiano Ronaldo played hero yesterday, leading Portugal to a 2-1 win over Croatia, which had a late equalizer taken away on replay review. Now, Portugal takes on Spain next. Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal after scoring against Croatia at Toronto Stadium on July 2, 2026.Patrick Smith / FIFA via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJuly 3, 2026, 11:00 AM EDTBy Mark HodgePortugal advanced after edging out Croatia 2-1 in a hard-fought match, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s team will now face European champion Spain on Monday. Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.The spotlight now shifts to Lionel Messi‘s Argentina, which today is looking to bring an end to Cape Verde’s remarkable World Cup run. Our NBC News team will be live-blogging the game, so come join us!World Cup RecapPortugal advanced to the round of 16 after a wild 2-1 win against Croatia yesterday in Toronto.The game was tied 0-0 after a pretty uneventful first half, but the second half more than made up for it. Croatia struck first, with Ivan Perišić scoring in the 53rd minute.Soon after, Portugal drew a penalty kick off a corner and Ronaldo coolly sent in a goal, the first time he’s scored in a World Cup knockout round.The game remained tied into stoppage time and seemed destined for extra time until Portugal sent a cross into the box and Gonçalo Ramos headed in the go-ahead goal in the 94th minute.Croatia’s Josko Gvardiol nearly scored an equalizer about 13 minutes into added time, but the goal was taken away for an offside call via replay review. This probably marked the last World Cup game for Croatia legend Luka Modrić, 40, while Portugal’s star Ronaldo survived to play another game.Mateo Kovacic is consoled by Luka Modric of Croatia after a 2-1 loss to Portugal at Toronto Stadium on July 2, 2026.Pat...