The big Cristiano Ronaldo calls Portugal boss Roberto Martinez got RIGHT in chaotic Croatia win, why the VAR drama will be talked about for decades to come and the forgotten Man City star who shone in defeat

Cristiano Ronaldo finally scored the knockout goal in the World Cup at the age of 41, but his assistant Goncalo Ramos stole the thunder for Portugal.

Boss Roberto Martinez has been hounded throughout the tournament for his reluctance to drop or replace the experienced Ronaldo, but he executed his in-game moves accurately as his team beat a brave and energetic Croatia side in Toronto.

Ronaldo was not one of four substitutions in the 63rd minute and repaid his manager’s trust five minutes later by scoring the penalty that canceled out Ivan Perisic’s first goal in the 53rd minute.

Then when Ronaldo finally got the hook, the man who had inherited the 9th row from new AC Milan signing Ramos sealed the victory with a fine header in the 94th minute from Rafael Leao’s cross.

Croatia thought they had equalized with Josko Gvardiol in the 13th minute of extra time, but after a controversial VAR decision, Mario Pasalic was ruled offside.

This means Portugal have a thrilling last 16 clash against Spain in Dallas on Monday night.

Martinez excites Ronaldo’s phone calls

Ronaldo was a millisecond away from his iconic ‘siu’ celebration when he looked to his right to see the offside flag raised.

When he looked in the other direction, he would see four Portuguese players moving to take part as substitutes.

With two strikers among them, it was inevitable that Ronaldo’s international career would end. All these great moments ended with a marginal offside call.

But this group is writing their own script, just like their great rival Lionel Messi did in Qatar in 2022.

Within minutes Ronaldo was pulling away again and started the celebration after confidently scoring a penalty straight down the middle.

Manager Martinez resisted the nagging temptation to tie up Ronaldo and it paid off.

However, the 41-year-old did nothing to warrant his selection other than kicking the penalty. He was missing from the action for most of the match.

Ramos, who joined AC Milan this week for around £63.5 million, occupied space in a way Ronaldo did not and positioned himself in such a way that his last-gasp header became an unforgettable moment.

Did VAR get it right?

It was a VAR call that Croatia would talk about for decades.

Did Igor Matanovic touch the ball? As the long ball entered the penalty area, there was no doubt that Pasalic was offside.

But from the angles shown on TV, there was no conclusive evidence of whether Matanovic was heading towards the cross and not just defender Renato Veiga – either way.

With such subtle margins, it feels like another moment where VAR ruined our beautiful game. Considering how well Croatia played and that they deserved something from the game, it’s hard not to feel sorry for them.

It’s hard not to feel bad for Croatia after a last minute equalizer was stolen from them

Kovacic’s masterclass means nothing

Mateo Kovacic perhaps played the game of his career in midfield and should have scored at least one goal.

The Manchester City man easily passed the Portuguese and Diogo Costa’s shot onto the post midway through the second half deservedly put Croatia ahead.

Likewise, if the Inter player had not been narrowly offside, his pass from deep to Petar Sucic would have been one of the assists of the tournament.

Kovacic was by far the best midfielder in the match, where Paris Saint-Germain’s dynamite duo of Joao Neves and Vitinha formed a trio with Bruno Fernandes and former Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric was on the field.

Perisic was also one of those who had a positive night. The former Inter Milan, Bayern Munich and Tottenham player, now 37, scored well and is perhaps overlooked as one of the greatest veterans of this competition.

Croatia, like Senegal the night before, looked shocked at the end. They did enough to win, or at least force extra time. They were bold, they were exciting, and they caused all kinds of trouble. But it wasn’t to be.

Leao overshadowed his teammates

Ronaldo was ineffective, Pedro Neto was barely noticeable. The brightest spark for Portugal was Rafael Leao.

In the opening minutes, the winger made a perfect cut past Bayern Munich’s Josip Stanisic and into the path of Bruno Fernandes, blocking the shot well.

Shortly after, Leao lobbed a stylish ball over Renato Veiga’s head and the ball went over the crossbar.

Croatia began doubling Leao, which meant the night calmed down after an exciting start – but he was still a bright spark and at times looked annoyed with Ronaldo for some negative passing.

His curling effort rattled the crossbar and was centimeters away from the equalizer in the 58th minute, before he curled in a perfect cross for Ramos’ winner. What a nice assist.

AC Milan fans won’t like the next sentence, but is it time for Leao to make a big move? The Italian giants are a big club but can they do better? He is now 27, so the ship may have sailed, but 80 goals have been scored in 291 club appearances for the winger.

Rafael Leao eventually became Portugal’s star, making his first start of the tournament.

Is there anyone between Mendes and Yamal?

‘Which full-back can win a game for Lamine Yamal?’ – That was the question posed to the BBC as Spain passed Austria in the earlier kick-off.

Portugal’s Nuno Mendes might give a good shot, or at least be as good as the others.

He has been the best left-back in the game over the last two years at Paris Saint-Germain, a two-time European champion, and this matchup in Dallas looks like a true clash of heavyweights.

Mendes is better going forward than defensively, which could be a concern for Spain and right-back Pedro Porro, who sometimes looks isolated.

For UK viewers, Monday night’s 8pm clash in Dallas looks like an all-time classic in the making.

How much will David Beckham earn from World Cup brand deals? Take our quiz in our newsletter HERE