Cristiano Ronaldo says Portugal are ready for the challenge of facing Spain after the neighbouring nations set up a World Cup round-of-16 meeting with wins on Thursday. Spain eased past Austria in the days first game, Mikel Oyarzabal scoring twice in a 3-0 win, before Portugal followed them through after a hugely controversial 2-1 victory over Croatia.Ivan Perisic put Croatia ahead only for a Ronaldo penalty to level the scores. Goncalo Ramos header in the 94th-minute appeared to have won it but there was still time for more drama with Josko Gvardiol seeing a last-gasp equaliser chalked off by the VAR, who used the footballing equivalent of crickets snickometer to deem Igor Matanovic had flicked the ball on.Table of ContentsWe know them well, says Ronaldo of SpainCroatia boss Dalic slams VAR after disallowed goalWe know them well, says Ronaldo of SpainIt was harsh on Croatia, whose coach Zlatko Dalic was furious, but Ronaldo had already set his sights on the clash with Lamine Yamal and Co.He said: We know that Spain are one of the candidates to win the World Cup. Its going to be a difficult game like every match from now on, but I think well be prepared. We know them well, I think it will be a very close-fought game and well see what happens. I feel good, physically balanced.Ronaldo displayed typical calm when taking his penalty before being replaced with nine minutes of normal time remaining.Our goal was to move forward, going game by game and seeing what happened, he added. You never feel afraid in those moments with a penalty, I have never felt like that. It is normal to be nervous, but I have always maintained a positive mentality, thinking that everything will be fine.Before the game, Ronaldos sister Katia Aveiro claimed this was the Al-Nassr stars final World Cup, his Last Dance on the international stage.According to the information I have, you can say goodbye, she said. Not today, but I think this is the farewell. I mean the national team. Im saying it from a reliable source. Its the Last Dance, at the World Cup.Croatia boss Dalic slams VAR after disallowed goalWhile that news dominated the build-up, the fall-out centred around the decision to disallow Gvardiols effort that would have taken the game to extra-time.Unsurprisingly, the two coaches disagreed.Roberto Martinez said: Its a shame one of the two teams had to lose. But there is no bad decision or lucky decision. It was a clear moment.The balls now have a chip and the sensor shows the ball was touched.Dalic did not want to go into the specific incident in detail but made clear his thoughts on VAR.I will not comment much about it but I will say the refereeing was very bad, he said.No fouls, no set-pieces on our side which should have been but thats no reason to talk about the defeat. It was very bad refereeing.You were able to see to what extent emotions had been killed and, altogether all these decisions take you back and actually take the joy out of football.VAR kills emotions, it kills everything within you. We have gone too far with VAR. Topics Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal National Football Team Spain National Football Team Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Portugal v Croatia: Live commentary, updates, goals and stats as it happened as Ronaldo advances at World Cup 2026 Jon Fisher 3rd July, 2026 Cristiano Ronaldo: World Cup 2026 playing schedule, fixtures, kick off times, where to watch, confirmed news updates and full Portugal squad Ben Miller 3rd July, 2026 Portugal 2-1 Croatia: World Cup report, result and goals as Ronaldo helps Selecao survive late scare to set up Spain showdown Mitch Fretton 3rd July, 2026 Former Tottenham winger Perisic gives Croatia lead over Portugal before Ronaldo has goal ruled out Mitch Fretton 3rd July, 2026 De la Fuente: Spain were almost perfect in Austria win Cian Cheesbrough 2nd July, 2026 World Cup 2026 live: Portugal vs Croatia confirmed teams and full line ups, TV channel, live online stream and stats Mitch Fretton 2nd July, 2026
