Cristiano Ronaldo, the captain of the Portugal national team, described the match against Croatia as "chaotic" despite the 2-1 victory in the dying moments.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Club: Al-Nassr
The Portugal national team qualified for the round of 16 of the World Cup after a 2-1 victory over Croatia in a tough match.
The captain of the Portugal national team said on the Portuguese channel Mode Live: "We suffered from start to finish, it was a tough match but we were united, for me it was a bit chaotic."
He added, "The performance in the first half was great, we controlled the match and had chances, while Croatia did almost nothing."
He continued, "In the second half, we felt some tension, we conceded a goal, then my goal was canceled due to a very slight offside, then we got a penalty and things improved after that."
He added, "I congratulate the team because winning in these tournaments requires enduring suffering, which is what happened today."
He continued, "I would like to tell the Portuguese fans to continue supporting us, what matters to me are those who love the team and believe in us. What I can promise is that we will have a passionate team that believes winning is possible."
He concluded, "We know things will be complicated and difficult, but no one wins championships without suffering, and we will continue to fight in the upcoming matches."
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The thrilling match saw 4 goals canceled, 3 for Croatia and 1 for Portugal, all in the second half.
The victory came on the first anniversary of the death of Diogo Jota, the Portugal and Liverpool player, and the Portuguese players appeared after the match celebrating while wearing his number 21 shirt.
It also announced the end of a remarkable Croatian era after achieving the 2018 World Cup silver and 2022 bronze led by Luka Modric and his teammates.
The Portugal national team qualified for the round of 16 and will face Spain on July 6th.
