Portugal and Croatia Draw 0-0 in World Cup Knockout Opener in Toronto
The first-ever World Cup knockout match held in Canada took place late Thursday night in Toronto, featuring two European teams, Portugal and Croatia. Both teams advanced as runners-up from their groups and are aiming to progress further in the tournament. Portugal seeks to extend its unbeaten streak to four matches, recalling that in previous instances of such streaks in 1966 and 2006, they reached the semifinals.
Croatia, led by coach Zlatko Dalić, fields an aging squad that reached the 2018 World Cup final and finished third in 2022. They are pursuing their first official victory over Portugal, having won only once before in a friendly match ahead of Euro 2024. Portugal’s 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 145 international goals, has yet to score in World Cup knockout stages despite 29 attempts across eight matches. His former Real Madrid teammate, 40-year-old Luka Modrić, hopes this will not be his last game for Croatia.
The match kicked off at BMO Field with Norwegian referee Espen Eskås officiating. Portugal’s lineup featured João Novais returning to midfield and Rafael Leão starting for the first time, while Croatia maintained Nikola Vlašić and Ante Budimir in their starting eleven. The game ended in a goalless draw.
The winner of this match will face Spain in the round of 16 on Monday at 22:00 in Arlington, Texas. The quarterfinals will see the victor meet the winner of the United States versus Belgium match.
