Portugal prevail in pure chaos

Billed as the last dance of either Cristiano Ronaldo or Luka Modric, today’s Round of 32 match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto proved to be much more than just about the two legends. 

As the balance of the match swung from side to side, emotions boiled over, controversies surfaced, and in the ensuing chaos Portugal held on, finding heroes at the right moments.

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It was a blockbuster drama that may have been headlined by the icons, but was ultimately decided by an ensemble of supporting cast.

Anarchy was at the heart of the game between two battle-hardened teams; an ebb and flow that made it one of the most intriguing ties in this World Cup. Two-time semifinalists Portugal had the ammunition to dictate proceedings early at the Toronto Stadium, and they did.

The 2018 finalists Croatia, on the other hand, had the nous to withstand pressure and churned out plays to wrest momentum back.

Portugal opened up the game early as Rafael Leao was put in behind, but Bruno Fernandes could not muster the execution needed. 

Ronaldo, too, was there or thereabouts. Pedro Neto’s whipped ball, curling in, provided the first opportunity for their star man. As he ran, matching the pace of the ball, the ball somehow evaded the bare minimum touch required.

The first half ended with Portugal dominating possession. Yet, Croatia never looked like they were buckling under the bombardment and whenever there was chaos, goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic stepped in with authority. Happy with their first-half venture, they moved forward with vitality in the second half.

Mateo Kovacic found the side netting early in the second half before Croatia’s assertiveness finally culminated in the opening goal, Ivan Perisic showing his World Cup pedigree with a dazzling nutmeg finish. 

It appeared that Modric and teammates had grabbed the ebb and flow of the game, but then Leao produced a stunning 25-yard shot at the other end that came off the bar.

Igor Matanovic, who significantly improved Croatia’s attacking thrust, then found the back of the net, only to be called offside. In between, Ronaldo’s fantastic finish, latching onto a through ball, was ruled offside.

Roberto Martinez made four substitutions just past the hour mark, and even if it appeared anarchic, they found a solution. The telling moment came minutes later when Portugal vehemently asked for a VAR check following a corner. 

When the check happened, the penalty came as Croatia’s first heartbreak of the night. Ronaldo executed and got a ‘Siuuuu’ back from the crowd as emotions swept the game.

Kovacic would produce a mesmerising run, followed by a superb strike from outside the box, Diogo Costa pulling off a fingertip save down to his left, the ball crashing onto the bar. 

Roberto Martinez then did the unexpected, taking off Ronaldo and putting on Ruben Neves.

The change, however, had a lasting impact. With the game seemingly going into extra time, Leao produced the cross from which Goncalo Ramos struck in the 94th minute as Portugal found another hero to cheer.

Injury time, however, kept going on -- not unsurprisingly, in fact, due to Portugal’s goal celebrations. Croatia kept coming back, throwing the kitchen sink and, finally, they found the response.

Josko Gvardiol’s injury-time goal, well past the hundred-minute mark, was seemingly taking the game to extra time before VAR intervened again to scratch out the equaliser for offside. As the referee returned from the VAR check, 

Modric’s expression said it all. Having controlled the game so well, he had seen two goals scratched through VAR alongside the penalty to Portugal.

Modric fully expected the call to go against his side. The expressions, the celebrations on the Portugal bench, all seemed larger than life. It was absolute cinema.

Ronaldo and company live another day, having found a response when they needed it. Their shared pain and struggle are shaping them up convincingly for a round of 16 clash with Spain. 

The gravity of the chaos they found against Croatia could go a long way to shaping them up to be the contenders they were thought to be at the start of the tournament.