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Portugal vs. Croatia Player Ratings - Who Was the Man of the Match?
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- Portugal vs. Croatia Player Ratings - Who Was the Man of the Match?
Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 and has reached the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup . Portugal will play Spain in the Round of 16 on July 6 at Dallas Stadium.
Portugal's record in the 2026 World Cup is now two wins and two draws after four matches played.
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Croatia's 2026 World Cup is over, and their record after four games is two wins and two losses.
Who Scored for Croatia?
After close attempts in the first half, Croatia scored first early in the second half. Ivan Perisic was left unmarked at the back post and had all the time in the world to shoot past Diogo Costa .
Ivan Perisic #14 of Croatia celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match between Portugal and Croatia at Toronto Stadium on July 02, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images
Croatia deserved the lead after generating clearer chances and making Costa work in the first half.
Who Scored for Portugal?
In the 64th minute, Renato Veiga is fouled in the box after Croatia's Nikola Vlasic pulls the Portuguese defender down in the box.
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Var took a look, and the referee awarded Portugal a penalty kick. Only one man was kicking the penalty kick, and Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up. Ronaldo shot in the middle of the net and scored the equalizer.
Cristiano Ronaldo #7 of Portugal reacts after his attempt was ruled offside during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match between Portugal and Croatia at Toronto Stadium on July 02, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images
Ronaldo has become the oldest player to score at a World Cup knockout stage game; it was also the first World Cup knockout stage goal of his career.
Late in the match, a perfect cross from Rafael Leão led to a powerful header by Goncalo Ramos, who scored the winner for Portugal.
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Player Ratings for Portugal and Croatia (1-10)
These post-match player ratings from Athlon Sports are based on first-hand analysis while watching the match.
A one (1) is the worst possible score for a player who saw substantial minutes, while a 10 represents a stellar game-changing performance. A five (5) is average based on a player's role and expected contributions.
Portugal
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Diogo Costa - 7
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Nuno Mendes - 7
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Renato Veiga - 6
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Ruben Dias - 6
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João Cancelo - 6
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Vitinha - 6
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João Neves - 6
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Bruno Fernandes - 6
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Rafael Leão - 8 (Man of the Match)
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Pedro Neto - 6
Subs:Francisco Conceição (6), Bernardo Silva (6), Nelson Semedo (6), Gonçalo Ramos (7), Rúben Neves (6)
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Croatia
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Dominik Livakovic - 6
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Ivan Perisic - 8
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Marin Pongracic - 6
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Josip Sutalo - 6
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Josip Stanisic - 7
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Mateo Kovacic - 8
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Luka Modric - 6
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Petar Sucic - 7
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Martin Baturina - 6
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Ante Budimir - 5
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Nikola Vlasic - 6
Subs:Igor Matanovic (5), Mario Pasalic (5), Josko Gvardiol (4), Andrej Kramaric (N/A)
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jul 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Soccer section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
