Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal survive late drama to defeat Croatia and will face Spain in the Round of 16

By Kyle Feldscher, Jacob Lev, CNN

(CNN) — At 41 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo had a long time to wait to finally score in a World Cup knockout round. And it came at a time when his team needed it most. Ronaldo’s converted penalty kick-started Portugal’s comeback, overcoming a goal deficit to advance to the Round of 16 with a 2-1 win over Croatia. But Portugal needed a controversial video decision at the death to secure the victory. More on that later.

Ronaldo and company will take on Spain, who won earlier Thursday 3-0 against Austria, in the Round of 16 on July 6.

The first half didn’t just leave both squads frustrated from not converting opportunities – it also left them drenched – from the severe heat as well as the humidity. It was 88 degrees Fahrenheit at kickoff in Toronto, with 56% humidity, amid a heat wave sweeping across a wide swath of North America.

As both squads entered halftime without a goal, the chatter around the game up to that point was around Portugal’s missed chances, who outshot Croatia nine shots to three.

With the Toronto sun setting in the second half, it was the Vatreni who struck first as Ivan Perišić corralled a cross and struck it past Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa for the game’s first score.

The 37-year-old winger became Croatia’s top goal scorer in World Cup history with seven career tallies.

What came next was many more chances for both sides as the match opened up, including a second Croatian goal wiped away for offside, Portugal winger Rafa Leão’s laser hitting off the crossbar and Ronaldo’s potential equalizer also being ruled offside.

However, Portugal was handed its golden opportunity to equalize after a video assistant referee (VAR) review ruled that Renato Veiga was fouled by Croatian defender Marin Pongračić in the box. And it was none other than Ronaldo to hammer home the penalty kick and delight the crowd on hand with his iconic “Siu” celebration.

Just over 10 minutes after netting his first career World Cup goal in the knockout rounds, the 41-year-old was subbed off in the 81st minute for Rúben Neves to a rousing ovation from the BMO Field crowd.

With 10 minutes added in stoppage time for either nation to find a go-ahead goal before two 15-minute extra periods, it was Portugal’s Gonçalo Ramos who found the late match-winner.

The 25-year-old, newly announced AC Milan striker headed in a cross from just outside the box from Leão in the 94th minute.

Ramos was mobbed by his celebrating teammates in the corner of the field, but there were still six minutes to play before Portugal would secure its date with Spain in the Round of 16.

But the Portuguese defense remained firm against Croatia’s attack, but the final whistle didn’t come at exactly the 10-minute mark in stoppage time, as Croatia thought it had netted a late-minute equalizer from defender Joško Gvardiol.

With a disappointed Ronaldo looking on and the Croatian players gleefully celebrating, the goal went to VAR check and was ruled offside.

After a few more minutes of play, the final whistle sounded and Portugal was able to breathe a sigh of relief as Ronaldo’s international career will now be extended at least one more match.

Spain waltzes past Austria into the World Cup Round of 16

Earlier Thursday, Spain breezed through to the Round of 16 after a relatively painless 3-0 victory against Austria in SoFi Stadium outside Los Angeles.

Two goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and another from Pedro Porro were more than enough to ease the European champion’s path into the World Cup’s next knockout phase. Spain will next face the winner of this evening’s match between Portugal and Croatia in the next round.

While the Austrians had opportunities in the opening few minutes, the pitch at SoFi Stadium felt heavily tilted toward the Austrian goal as Spain – one of the favorites to win the World Cup later this month – had most of the possession and most of the opportunities.

Spain put the ball in the back of the net in the 29th minute after a corner kick pinged around in the box before Marc Cucurella pounced on the loose ball and sent it home. However, the goal was quickly ruled out for a foul while the corner was in air – the referee ruled Alexander Schlager was impeded by a Spanish player while trying to punch the ball clear.

The breakthrough came in the 37th minute off a beautifully worked team goal. Barcelona’s Dani Olmo played in Cucurella down the Spanish left. The new Real Madrid star took one touch and fired a cross into the box. Oyarzabal was left alone in the middle of the Austrian penalty area and hit the ball first time into the back of the net to make it 1-0.

Spain nearly doubled its lead just before halftime on a free kick from Álex Baena, whose effort eluded Schlager and hit the crossbar. The ball popped up in the air and Austria couldn’t clear, allowing Lamine Yamal a close-range opportunity that was denied by the Austrian keeper.

As the second half started, the Austrians began to eke forward a bit more, but the Spanish still controlled most of the play. The killer goal came in the 66th minute as the Spanish pinged the ball around the edge of the box before Cucurella slid a crucial pass down the left side of the Austrian box to Baena, who sent in a whipped cross.

The ball found the head of Porro, who nodded it into the open net and made it 2-0 just a couple of minutes before the second-half hydration break.

Oyarzabal added another as the match neared its end, once again getting on the end of a Cucurella cross and finding himself totally unmarked behind the Austrian defense. His finish was clinical and the Spanish were well and truly on Easy Street.

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