Hundreds in Kelowna watch as Portugal beats Croatia in nail

Hundreds in Kelowna watch as Portugal beats Croatia in nail-biter World Cup game

Published 8:25 pm Thursday, July 2, 2026

Fans of Cristiano Ronaldo in Kelowna watch moments before the 41-year-old Portugese star scores his first World Cup knockout stage goal on July 2. (Ty Lim/Kelowna Capital News)

Fans in Kelowna celebrate as striker Goncalo Ramos scores the winning goal for Portugal vs. Croatia in the 2026 World Cup. (Ty Lim/Kelowna Capital News)

Fan in Kelowna celebrates Ronaldo scoring a penalty kick to equalize 1-1 against Croatia in the 2026 World Cup. (Ty Lim/Kelowna Capital News)

Croatia fans in Kelowna celebrate as Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol scores a late goal to equalize the game at 2-2, only for the goal to be ruled offside moments later. (Ty Lim/Kelowna Capital News)

Youth juggles soccer ball while watching the 2026 World Cup in Kelowna. (Ty Lim/Kelowna Capital News)

A symphony of cheers and cries broke out at Kelowna’s Waterfront Park as Portugal’s Goncalo Ramos headed in the winning goal to knock Croatia out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Hundreds of soccer fans came to the park to attend Kelowna’s World Cup Watch Party on Thursday afternoon, July 2.

The event showcased the Round of 32 match between Croatia and Portugal, the latter of which won the game 2-1 to advance to the Round of 16.

Kelowna fans were able to listen to live music during the event. Younger fans also had an opportunity to play a variety of soccer mini-games set up at the park.

But the real drama was felt watching the game.

Cheers broke out from the fans – of whom, many were wearing Cristiano Ronaldo shirts – as the 41-year-old Portugese star scored a penalty kick at the 68th minute to equalize the game at 1-1.

Neither team would score again until stoppage time, but when Ramos headed the ball in the back of the net at 94-minute mark of the game, Portugal fans at Waterfront Park leapt from their seats in excitement, believing their team was moving onto the next round.

In the ensuing minutes, their cheers turned into stress, as Croatia mounted a relentless attack with around five minutes of stoppage time left.

The final minutes of the game had felt like an eternity, with most fans frozen in tension as Portugal tried to hold on to their one-goal lead.

In the 12th minute of stoppage time, Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol broke that tension as he scored what he must have thought was a dramatic equalizer, sending Croatian fans into a frenzy.

Referees debated the goal for minutes, but ultimately ruled that Gvardiol’s teammate, Mario Pasalic, was offside before playing a pass to him.

The match ended 2-1 in Portugal’s favour.

This was Kelowna’s first watch party for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Another watch party will be held on Saturday, July 4 as team Canada will have to defy the odds against Morocco in order to advance to the quarter-finals.