Portugal staggered into a quarter-final against Poland courtesy of Ricardo Quaresma’s opportunistic strike three minutes from the end of extra time. Remarkably, it took nearly two hours of play before either side managed a shot on target. In a tournament replete with compelling narratives, this was football at its most grudging and parsimonious — a match saved from complete oblivion by a brief, breathless coda.
For much of
the night, Croatia were the brighter, braver side, yet they fell victim to the
very caution they perhaps thought would see them through. Theirs was a
performance of understated dominance, undone by a fatal reluctance to translate
control into cutting edge. Portugal, meanwhile, wore the look of a spent force,
trudging through midfield as though carrying the accumulated fatigue of a long
campaign. Cristiano Ronaldo embodied this paradox: largely anonymous, yet crucial
in the decisive moment.
When Nani
finally located Ronaldo inside the area after what felt like an interminable
stalemate, the Portuguese captain forced Danijel Subasic into the night’s first
meaningful save. It was a low, stabbed effort that Subasic could only parry,
leaving Quaresma to nod home from point-blank range. Seconds earlier, Ivan
Perisic had seen his header graze the outside of Rui Patrício’s post — a
fleeting, cruel pivot on which the entire contest turned. According to UEFA’s
official tally, Croatia ended with zero shots on target. Portugal managed
precisely one — and they made it count.
The
Croatian coach, Ante Cacic, was left to rue football’s capricious nature. “We
dominated the game but didn’t score,” he lamented. “So the best team lost. It
happens.” Fernando Santos, by contrast, preferred to cast the evening as a
chess match. “Croatia played the best football in the group stages, but we
wouldn’t let them counterattack,” he said, offering a tacit admission that
Portugal’s approach was more about negation than creation. “It was hard for us
too, but today we were the lucky ones.”
The contest
had been billed in some quarters as a clash of Real Madrid’s virtuosi: Ronaldo
versus Luka Modric. That dynamic quickly revealed itself to be one-sided.
Modric stationed himself deep, orchestrating with quiet authority, while
Ronaldo, marooned high up the pitch, spent long spells as little more than a
spectator. Croatia’s early spell was all neat geometries and purposeful
possession, but for all Modric’s elegant probing, there was scant incision.
Indeed, the
first half’s paucity of entertainment was summed up by its highlight reel at
the interval: not a glittering passage of play, but José Fonte’s crude stamp on
Ivan Rakitic, a transgression that might have merited a red card had the
referee detected malice. As for actual chances, Pepe’s header over the bar from
João Mário’s free-kick represented Portugal’s sole serious incursion. Croatia’s
only reply was Perisic’s shot into the side netting after Nani carelessly
surrendered possession.
The second
period unfolded in much the same lethargic vein. Croatia probed, yet seemed
curiously inhibited, a shadow of the side that dazzled in the group stage. Even
Modric’s radar occasionally faltered. Left-back Ivan Strinic offered some
belated threat with improved deliveries, one of which narrowly eluded Marcelo
Brozovic at the six-yard line. When Brozovic finally found space to shoot
moments later, he blazed wildly over — emblematic of Croatia’s evening.
Portugal
sought impetus by introducing Renato Sanches, who brought bustle if not
precision. His one notable effort, a speculative shot after carving out space,
missed both goal and the broader confines of the penalty area.
It was
Croatia who continued to ask the tentative questions. Domagoj Vida sent a firm
header narrowly wide from a Darijo Srna free-kick, then performed diligent
defensive work to thwart Ronaldo as William Carvalho attempted a rare
penetrative pass. Throughout, Croatia remained haunted by the idea of Ronaldo —
his influence minimal, his threat nonetheless magnetic enough to warp their
defensive shape.
Inevitably,
the game seeped into extra time, where both sides appeared resigned to the
lottery of penalties. Perhaps it was this fatalism that proved Croatia’s
undoing. When Perisic’s header clipped the post, Portugal sprang with sudden
clarity, Renato Sanches driving forward before feeding Nani, whose pass
released Ronaldo. His shot forced Subasic into that lonely, telling save —
leaving Quaresma to administer the final, merciless touch.
Thus ended
a match that might otherwise have faded into oblivion, redeemed only by its
cruel conclusion. Croatia will forever ponder how a game they controlled so
comprehensively slipped away. For Portugal, it was less a triumph of football
than of perseverance and opportunism — a reminder that in knockout tournaments,
artistry often bows to pragmatism, and fortune is no respecter of style.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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