Match Summary · Haiti · World Cup · Football · International · World Cup · Portugal · Croatia · Ivan Perisic · Josip Stanisic · Cristiano Ronaldo
| Metric | Portugal | Croatia |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 62% | 38% |
| Shots | 15 | 13 |
| Shots on target | 3 | 7 |
| Shots off target | 8 | 4 |
| Corners | 9 | 5 |
| Fouls | 6 | 11 |
| Yellow cards | 1 | 2 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Offsides | 1 | 4 |
| Goalkeeper saves | 6 | 1 |
Croatia’s opener arrived at 52' when Perisic finished with Josip Stanisic credited the assist, flipping the score and forcing Portugal into chase mode. The highlights then swung toward the referee’s screen: VAR first wiped out a Portugal goal involving Ronaldo at 62', before intervening again to award a penalty in the 66' minute, which Ronaldo buried at 67' for 1-1.
Portugal’s territorial edge told in the stats - 62% possession and 9 corners to 5 - but they still needed Diogo Costa to make 5 saves as Croatia put 7 shots on target. Another report’s words about diaspora pride fitted the mood around this tournament: "We are incredibly proud of our team who has connected us in this World Cup," N'Guessan said.
The summary of the drama came right at the end: Ramos struck at 90' from Leao’s assist, and a late Croatia effort credited to Josko Gvardiol was ruled out by VAR - the final score staying 2-1.
Our exact score call landed: 2-1. The pre-match prediction matched the final score at 2-1.
The betting recommendation also landed, giving the preview another confirmed read on the match.
1X2: Home @1.84
Pre-match pick: The prediction in the discussion expects a narrow