TORONTO, July 2 (Reuters) - Thousands of Portugal and Croatia supporters braved severe heat as they danced and sangtheir way to Toronto Stadium to witness icons Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric likely face each other one last time on the sport's grandest stage.
With Toronto boasting a large Portuguese and Croatian diaspora, the World Cup round of 32 clash carries special significance to them as it could mark the end of the road for one of the ageing Ballon d'Or winners in their bid to win football's ultimate glory.
Having attended Croatia's group-stage game against Panama in Toronto, supporter Dennis Mavrin is back for more. He said he spent his family vacation budget on tickets even though his spouse was not very pleased.
"I thought that would be the only game I went to but after that game, I knew we had to come back. My son and I are here to experience that match between Ronaldo and Modric," he said.
Toronto has been engulfed by high temperatures this week, hitting 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas on Thursday.
Train services have been slowed and a popular World Cup fan broadcast at Nathan Phillips Square in downtown Toronto was scrapped by the city after authorities said they needed more resources to manage large crowds at the stadium and fan marches.
Train operator Metrolinx cautioned fans that while it would adjust its service to include more trips to the stadium for Toronto's final World Cup game, trains would run at slower speeds due to the extreme weather, and that some trips may be cancelled.
But none of those factors deterred the fans, including Justin Ribeiro, a Toronto resident with Portuguese roots.
"I have seen Portugal play in Portugal, but finding out that they are playing here, totally different... I needed to come watch them here at home," Ribeiro said.
Both teams have had a patchy tournament so far. Portugal won their second group game against Uzbekistan, sandwiched between two draws with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Colombia. Croatia lost their first game to England, before recovering to beat Panama and Ghana.
(Writing by Bhargav AcharyalEditing by Christian Radnedge)
