Portugal advance in World Cup thanks to last-gasp Ramos winner

Substitute Gonçalo Ramos's headed goal edged Portugal into the last 16 of the World Cup on Thursday after Croatia were dramatically denied an equaliser by VAR.

Ramos settled a classic World Cup contest when he connected with a superb pass from Rafael Leão in the fourth minute of stoppage time to snuff out a Croatia side that had created the lion's share of the chances in the sapping heat in Toronto.

Croatia thought they had snatched an equaliser in the dying seconds of extra time, but Joško Gvardiol's goal was chalked off for offside.

The Croatians were left stunned by the decision, and their fans began hurling rubbish onto the pitch.

In the seconds before Gvardiol's disallowed goal, the Portuguese bench and coach Roberto Martínez were growing increasingly livid, urging the match officials to blow the final whistle.

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Cristiano Ronaldo played his part in the victory, calmly converting a penalty that cancelled out Ivan Perišić's opener.

It was Ronaldo's first-ever goal in the knockout stage of the World Cup, and it made him the oldest goalscorer in that phase in the tournament's history.

His remarkable international career will now have another chapter when Portugal face Spain in Dallas on Monday.

After the match, Ronaldo shared a lengthy exchange with Croatian legend Luka Modrić, one of football's all-time greats, whose World Cup career has almost certainly ended with Thursday's defeat.

The match marked the first time that two outfield players aged over 40 featured in the same World Cup match.

At the end, the Portugal players also paid tribute to their late team-mate Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car crash a year ago, by holding up his number 21 shirt.

Ronaldo penalty

After a lacklustre first half, Croatian veteran Perišić stunned Portugal by slotting the ball underneath advancing goalkeeper Diogo Costa in the 53rd minute.

Within minutes, Ronaldo had the ball in the net after controlling a long pass, but his effort was ruled out for offside.

Portugal drew level when Renato Veiga was pulled back by Croatia's Nikola Vlašić in the penalty area and, after a VAR review, the referee pointed to the spot.

Ronaldo stepped up and converted the penalty with ease, driving the ball straight down the middle before pumping his fists in celebration, triggering deafening cheers around the Toronto stadium.

In a pulsating encounter, Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovačić's low shot was brilliantly pushed onto the post by Costa's fingertips.

Croatia continued to press, and Petar Sučić also found the net, but the assistant referee's flag was immediately raised for a clear offside.

Ronaldo was substituted in the 81st minute, with Rúben Neves coming on in his place.

The sell-out crowd of 43,000 rose to applaud as Ronaldo left the pitch, uncertain at the time whether he would appear again at a World Cup.

Croatia continued to create the better chances, and Mario Pašalić came agonisingly close to winning the match with a far-post header that bounced just wide.

But when Ramos connected with Leão's cross in stoppage time, the net bulged and Portugal were through.

While the crowd largely favoured Portugal, the sizeable and vocal Croatian contingent greeted every Ronaldo touch with loud boos.

Tens of thousands of people of Portuguese heritage live in and around Toronto, and Ronaldo's presence in the city also sparked waves of excitement - and traffic chaos - on a major motorway the day before the match.

A multi-lane expressway was forced to close on Wednesday after hundreds of fans lined the hard shoulder hoping to catch a glimpse of the passing Portuguese team bus.