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[caption id="attachment_17117" align="alignnone" width="580"] Ronaldo was the creator behind Ricardo Quaresma's winner. Twitter[/caption] Internet Desk: Ricardo Quaresma scored a late extra-time winner as Portugal beat Croatia 1-0 ina thriller of a contest to reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2016. A drab contest in Lens looked to be heading to penalties until Quaresma headed home from close range in the 117th minute after Cristiano Ronaldo's shot had been saved. Less than a minute earlier, Ivan Perisic had almost given Croatia the lead when he headed against the post. The game was a cagey affair in which neither team put a shot on target in regulation time and Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo did not look at the best of his form which he produced in the Hungary match until setting up the game-winning goal in the 117th minute. The best chance of the first half came in the 25th minute after Ronaldo was fouled on the wing. Raphael Guerreiro sent in a well-placed cross from the free kick, but Pepe's powerful header sailed over the bar. The first half especially was short of any goalmouth attack as both the teams looked like compressing on their defence. With Southampton duo Cedric Soares and Jose Fonte starting in defence, Portugal sat back and kept Croatia assessing. The returning Luka Modric and Mario Mandzukic could not create anything for Ante Cacic's side and it was Pepe who spurned the best opportunity of the half when he headed over the bar from a free-kick. Perisic shot into the side netting shortly afterwards but the goalkeepers were not tested before the break. Croatia were livelier after half-time, though, and nearly took the lead on 52 minutes when Marcelo Brozovic barely missed getting a head to Ivan Strinic's dangerous cross, and Portugal put it out for a corner. The introduction of Renato Sanches gave Portugal more energy in midfield but they were still unable to create any chances of note, with Ronaldo not managing a shot in normal time. Portugal had a penalty shout in the 64th minute when Nani got in behind the Croatia defence and was kicked from behind by Strinic, but the ball had already gone out of play off the striker's shoulder. The game continued to be in cagey as the regulation time was coming to an end and it seems it would go to the extra-time. Portugal's half-chances mostly came from corners -- to no avail -- with Ronaldo particularly ineffective as he did not touch the ball at all in the first 15 minutes of extra time. In the second period, Croatia defender Domagoj Vida missed an open net with a clean header after Patricio had tripped following a corner. Croatia went close in the 113th minute when Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio came to claim a corner, missed and Vida failed to hit the target with his header. Portugal broke on the counter-attack with Sanches carrying the ball forward before laying it off to Nani near the corner of the box. The striker took a touch and curled the ball across the box to an open Ronaldo, whose shot was saved. But the ball bounced up nicely for Quaresma, who could not miss with a header on the goal line, and Portugal took the lead against the run of play, breaking Croatian hearts. Portugal will now face Poland in the quarter-finals in Marseille on June 30 while Croatia will head home.