Portugal Vs Croatia Live Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Costa Denies Budimir As Vatreni Threaten Early

Ronaldo steps up in his trademark stance, lining it up from about 25 yards out after Portugal win a free-kick on the left edge of the box. He goes for the effort straight away, but it’s a simple one for the Croatian wall, which stands firm and blocks it cleanly. Croatia breathe again, still level at 0-0 as the game reaches 12 minutes.

Croatia come so close to striking early. Perisic drives it down the flank and Baturina does brilliantly to cut it back into the box. Budimir times his run perfectly and goes first time, but Costa reacts well, getting down quickly to his right to hold on and keep it out. Portugal survive a real scare inside three minutes, still 0-0 but that was a warning sign.

We are up and running at Toronto Stadium as Croatia kick off this Round of 32 clash, moving from right to left in the opening half. Both sides have settled quickly into their shapes, feeling each other out in the early exchanges. No chances yet, but the intensity is already building with the score locked at 0-0 inside the opening minute.

Portugal and Croatia have met 10 times, with Portugal winning seven, Croatia winning once, and two matches ending in draws. Their rivalry began at Euro 1996, where Portugal claimed a 3-0 win through goals from Luís Figo, João Pinto and Domingos Paciencia.

Croatia’s only victory came in a 2024 friendly in Portugal, when Luka Modric and Ante Budimir struck either side of Diogo Jota’s equaliser. Their most recent meeting was a 1-1 draw in the Nations League in November 2024.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be telecast live on Unite8 Sports network on television. For live streaming, one can catch the action on the Zee5 app and website.

Hello, we are back with another live blog, and it's Portugal vs Croatia in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32. Stay tuned for live score updates, key moments and all the action as these European heavyweights battle for a place in the Round of 16.