Portugal booked their place in the FIFA World Cup pre-quarterfinals after defeating Croatia in a dramatic encounter that was settled deep into added time. Goncalo Ramos scored the decisive goal in stoppage time to hand Portugal a thrilling victory, while a late Croatian equaliser was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.

The result ended Croatia’s World Cup campaign and marked what could be Luka Modric’s final appearance on football’s biggest stage. Portugal will now face Spain in the pre-quarterfinals on July 7.

The match began at a frantic pace, with Croatia threatening early through Ante Budimir. Portugal responded immediately as Bruno Fernandes tested Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, who produced a fine save.

Vitinha came close in the fourth minute before Cristiano Ronaldo’s effort nine minutes later narrowly missed the target. Following the first hydration break, Joao Cancelo delivered a dangerous cross into the Croatian penalty area, but neither Bruno Fernandes nor Ronaldo could apply the finishing touch.

Portugal continued to dominate possession. Rafael Leao’s corner found Nuno Mendes in the 34th minute, but the defender failed to hit the target. Fernandes delivered another dangerous corner six minutes later, but no Portuguese player managed to convert as the teams went into the break goalless after four minutes of first-half stoppage time.

Croatia made an early change in the second half, replacing Budimir with Igor Matanovic. The substitutions appeared to inject fresh energy into the side. Diego Costa denied Mateo Kovacic in the 48th minute before producing another excellent save from Nikola Vlasic following Luka Modric’s corner a minute later.

Croatia finally broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute. Josip Stanisic’s cross from the right was brilliantly guided into the net by Ivan Perisic to put the Croatians ahead.

The lead, however, lasted only briefly. Croatia thought they had doubled their advantage through Nikola Vlasic three minutes later, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Moments afterwards, Ronaldo also found the net, only for his effort to be disallowed for the same reason.

Portugal were handed a lifeline after a VAR review spotted a foul on a Portuguese defender during a corner. The referee awarded a penalty, and Ronaldo calmly sent Livakovic the wrong way to level the scores. The goal was Ronaldo’s third of the tournament and his 11th overall in World Cup competition.

Both sides pushed relentlessly for a winner during the 10 minutes of added time, creating several dangerous opportunities. Just when extra time appeared inevitable, Goncalo Ramos struck in the fourth minute of stoppage time to seal a dramatic victory for Portugal.

Croatia launched one final attack and briefly celebrated what appeared to be a last-gasp equaliser. However, after a VAR review, the goal was ruled out for offside, confirming Portugal’s passage into the pre-quarterfinals and ending Croatia’s spirited challenge.