Portugal Beat Croatia in Astonishing World Cup Drama

Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal are through to the World Cup quarterfinals after a dramatic 2-1 win over Croatia.

According to FIFA's official team sheet, Ronaldo started the match and became the oldest outfield player ever to appear in a FIFA World Cup knockout game at 41 years and 147 days old.

Before kick-off, many fans believed it could be the final World Cup match for either Ronaldo or Croatia captain Luka Modrić. Instead, the two legends produced another memorable battle.

Croatia struck first in the 53rd minute when Ivan Perišić found the net to silence the Portuguese fans. Ronaldo looked visibly disappointed as Portugal fell behind.

Portugal thought they had equalised soon after when Ronaldo found the back of the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner refused to give up.

In the 63rd minute, Ronaldo calmly converted a penalty to make it 1-1 and keep Portugal's World Cup dream alive. It was another big moment from the veteran captain on football's biggest stage.

Portugal coach Roberto Martínez later replaced Ronaldo with Rúben Neves as both teams searched for a winner.

The decisive moment came deep into stoppage time.

According to the match events, substitute Gonçalo Ramos scored in the 94th minute after an assist from Rafael Leão to put Portugal 2-1 ahead.

Croatia thought they had rescued the game in the 103rd minute when Joško Gvardiol finished brilliantly. However, after a review, the goal was ruled out for offside.

The Croatian players were left heartbroken as Portugal celebrated a dramatic victory.

Ronaldo may not have finished the game on the pitch, but his penalty changed the momentum and helped spark Portugal's comeback.

The result also means the emotional farewell for Luka Modrić appears to have arrived, while Ronaldo's dream of lifting the World Cup trophy remains alive for at least one more match.

Portugal are now into the quarterfinals, and if this thrilling comeback is anything to go by, nobody will want to face them in the next round.