Josko Gvardiol's denied equaliser helps Portugal secure place in round of 16

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Portugal battled into the last 16 of the World Cup with a drama-filled 2-1 victory over Croatia on Thursday to set up a titanic showdown with European champions Spain. In another nerve-shredding World Cup classic, Goncalo Ramos headed Portugal ahead in the fourth minute of stoppage time before Croatia saw a last-gasp equaliser ruled out for offside in Toronto.

Portugal’s 41-year-old captain Cristiano Ronaldo had helped haul his team back into the contest, burying a 68th-minute penalty to cancel out Croatia’s 53rd-minute opener from Ivan Perisic. Ronaldo later joined frenzied celebrations after Ramos glanced home a sensational header deep into injury time to give Portugal the lead.

But Ronaldo and his Portugal teammates were left stunned when Josko Gvardiol prodded home an equaliser in stoppage time. Yet VAR, aided by Snicko technology, chalked off the goal after a chip embedded in the match ball detected that it had just brushed Croatia striker Igor Matanovic, while Mario Pasalic was in an offside position in the build-up.

“I never felt any of that [fear]. Yes, nervous. But as always, you have to stay positive for things to go well. I love that type of moment, I love that type of games. I want to play every game like that,” Ronaldo said.

“First half we dominated the game. In the second half after the goal we get a little bit panic, but this is football. After the penalty, I think it was a little bit better for us. We created a few chances and I think at the end of the day we deserved to win the match,” he added.

After a quiet first half, veteran Perisic stunned Portugal by slotting the ball under advancing goalkeeper Diogo Costa in the 53rd minute. Within minutes, Ronaldo found the net after controlling a long pass, but his effort was disallowed for offside.

Portugal drew level when Renato Veiga was grabbed by Nikola Vlasic in the penalty area and after a VAR check, the referee pointed to the spot. Ronaldo stepped up to convert the penalty, hitting the ball down the middle and pumping his fists. Ronaldo was withdrawn in the 81st minute to allow Ruben Neves to come on.

How Snicko ruled out Croatia’s goal

Snicko technology, originally developed for cricket, is designed to detect whether a ball has made contact with a player. It uses sound waves to identify even the slightest touch that may not be visible to the naked eye. The FIFA World Cup match ball is fitted with an internal sensor that records every touch. 

On Thursday, Croatia’s Josko Gvardiol was denied the equaliser after Snicko detected a slight touch by his teammate Igor Matanovic in the build-up to the goal. VAR ruled Croatia’s Mario Pasalic to be in an offside position when the touch by Matanovic occurred.

One
Thursday’s penalty marked Cristiano Ronaldo’s first ever goal in a FIFA World Cup knockout match 

41 years, 147 days
Ronaldo’s exact age when he scored against Croatia, making him the oldest player to compete and score in a FIFA World Cup knockout match

4
No of goals that were ruled offside in the Portugal vs Croatia clash — the most in a single World Cup match

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