The drums haven’t stopped. Not for a second. Thousands of Portugal fans have turned a section of Toronto into a temporary corner of Lisbon, and they’re making sure everyone hears it. The World Cup round of 32 is here, and for Cristiano Ronaldo, this might be the last real shot at the one trophy that’s missing from his shelf.
But here’s the thing nobody wants to say out loud: Portugal has not looked great so far. On paper, this squad is loaded. Bruno Fernandes. Bernardo Silva. Rúben Dias. Joao Cancelo. The kind of depth most countries would kill for. But through the group stage, the Iberians were messy. Inconsistent. They scraped results but never once looked like a team that could actually go all the way.
And now they face Croatia.
Luka Modric Still Has One More Dance
Let’s not pretend Croatia is some easy out. Luka Modric is still out there, still controlling games with that ridiculous first touch, still making 28-year-olds look like they’re moving in slow motion. The man is 40 years old and somehow still the best passer on the field most nights. Croatia doesn’t have Portugal’s raw talent top to bottom, but they don’t need it. They have a system. They have experience. And they have a habit of showing up in knockout games when nobody expects them to.
Portugal’s issue so far hasn’t been effort. It’s been rhythm. The passes are a half-step late. The movement off the ball is static. Ronaldo has had moments — that header against Ghana was vintage — but he’s also had long stretches where he’s basically a decoy. The team needs him to be more than that if they want to survive a single-elimination bracket that includes Brazil, France, and Argentina on the other side.
The Crowd Might Be the Difference
If you’ve seen the videos coming out of Toronto, you already know. The Portuguese fans have turned this into a home game. Red and green everywhere. Flags draped over highway overpasses. Singing that starts at 7 a.m. and doesn’t stop until after midnight. The players have noticed. Fernandes mentioned it in a press conference, said the energy from the stands has been electric. (The team has not officially commented on whether the noise affects their sleep schedule, but judging by the Instagram stories, nobody’s complaining.)
Realistically, this is probably Portugal’s best path to a title. The bracket is favorable if they get through Croatia. The talent is there. The belief is there. But belief doesn’t win headers in the 85th minute. Execution does.
If they lose tonight, the questions about Ronaldo’s legacy will get louder. If they win, they buy themselves at least one more week of hope. Either way, those drums aren’t stopping anytime soon.
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