Ronaldo Oldest Scorer in Knockout History
Portugal fought their way into the World Cup last 16 with a drama-soaked 2-1 win over Croatia on Thursday, a result that sets up a mouth-watering showdown with European champions Spain and extends Cristiano Ronaldo’s remarkable World Cup career for at least one more match.
The contest at Toronto’s BMO Field delivered the kind of late-match chaos that has become a hallmark of this tournament’s knockout rounds. Croatia struck first, with Ivan Perisic putting them ahead in the 53rd minute, before Ronaldo levelled matters from the penalty spot in the 68th minute, burying his effort to haul Portugal back into the contest. The match appeared destined for extra time until Goncalo Ramos rose to glance home a sensational header deep into injury time, sending Ronaldo and his teammates into frenzied celebration and Portugal into what looked like a winning position.
Croatia, however, refused to accept defeat quietly. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Josko Gvardiol prodded home an apparent equaliser that sent the Croatian contingent inside BMO Field into raptures — only for the goal to be chalked off for offside after a lengthy VAR review, to the disbelief of Croatia’s players and their large travelling support. The reversal handed Portugal a narrow but hard-fought passage into the last 16.
The emotional weight of the victory extended well beyond the result itself. After the final whistle, an emotional Ronaldo held up and pulled on a Portugal shirt bearing the number 21, a tribute to late teammate Diogo Jota, the Liverpool star who died in a car crash almost exactly a year before Thursday’s win, on 3 July of the previous year. “We knew it before the game. It was a so special moment. We speak today, our group, about that, the coincidence of life, it’s unbelievable,” Ronaldo said afterwards, reflecting on the timing of the tribute.
He went further in describing what the victory meant to the squad collectively. “I was amazed because the situation of today. It means a lot to us, not only because we won the game, but the also the way we won the game. It was a difficult game, we knew it,” Ronaldo said.
The win ensures Ronaldo’s extraordinary run at World Cups continues for at least one more fixture, with Portugal set to face Iberian rivals Spain in the last 16 in Dallas on Monday — a clash between two of the tournament’s most storied footballing nations. Ronaldo’s second-half penalty against Croatia also carried historic significance of its own, making him the oldest man ever to score in a World Cup knockout match at 41 years of age.
Spain, for their part, secured their place in that last-16 meeting in emphatic fashion, dispatching Austria 3-0 in Los Angeles earlier in the day in a performance that underlined their status as one of the genuine favourites for the title. Goals from Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored twice, and a header from Pedro Porro sealed the win, in what was widely regarded as Spain’s most complete performance of the tournament so far.
The victory marked a significant turnaround in form for Spain, who had opened their World Cup campaign with a faltering 0-0 draw against Cape Verde before steadily building momentum with each subsequent match. Watched by a crowd of 70,492 at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium — among them Spanish film stars Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem — Spain were in control from the outset against an Austrian side that failed to register a single shot on goal throughout the match.
Oyarzabal opened the scoring in the 36th minute, sweeping in a low finish to cap off a slick passing move, before further intricate build-up play set up Pedro Porro to head home Spain’s second goal in the 66th minute. Real Sociedad striker Oyarzabal then completed his brace, coolly tucking away a low finish from a pinpoint cross delivered by Marc Cucurella.
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente was effusive in his praise of the performance afterward. “We played a magnificent match. I am happy because, in every aspect, we came close to perfection,” he said, while also sounding a note of caution about the challenges that lie ahead in the tournament’s business end. “Every match from now on will be more complicated. Every match will be a bit more demanding. We are moving into a more critical phase,” he added.
Despite the dominant showing, de la Fuente insisted his squad still has room to grow heading into the knockout rounds. “That is our spirit — the belief that we haven’t hit our ceiling yet. We need to improve naturally. We are ambitious,” he said, framing Spain’s continued development as a work in progress even as the team enters the tournament’s most demanding stretch.
Attention now turns to the late fixture on Thursday, which will see Algeria face Switzerland as the North African side attempts to avoid becoming the latest African team eliminated in the knockout rounds, following the exits of Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal. Of the continent’s representatives, only Morocco have so far advanced to the last 16. Algeria, notably, have never won a World Cup knockout match across four previous appearances at the tournament, leaving Thursday’s clash with Switzerland as a genuine opportunity to break new ground for the team.
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