Portugal recovered from a goal down to secure a 2–1 victory over Croatia in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Cristiano Ronaldo producing another historic milestone in an extraordinary career.
As Portugal searched for a way back into the contest, Ronaldo stepped up from the penalty spot in the 68th minute and calmly converted to restore parity. At 41 years and 146 days old, he became the oldest player ever to score in a World Cup knockout match. He also set the record as the oldest footballer to appear in the tournament's knockout stage.
Ronaldo's latest strike took his tally to 976 official career goals, extending his record as the highest-scoring player in world football history. Across more than two decades, the Portuguese icon has consistently delivered goals for both club and country.
The penalty against Croatia also represented a landmark personal achievement. It was the first World Cup knockout-stage goal of Ronaldo's career, allowing him to end a long-standing drought while avoiding an unwanted place in the record books.
Before converting from the spot, Ronaldo had gone eight World Cup knockout matches without scoring, the second-longest such run by a forward in the tournament's history.
Had he failed to score at BMO Field in Toronto, Ronaldo would have joined Netherlands forward Dirk Kuyt as the player with the most World Cup knockout appearances without finding the net. The statistic would have been especially striking given that Kuyt played primarily as a right wing-back during his final World Cup appearance for the Netherlands in 2014.
Although Ronaldo converted the decisive penalty in Portugal's shootout victory over England in the 2006 World Cup quarter-finals, goals scored during penalty shootouts are not counted as official goals.
For a player whose career has been defined by scoring in the biggest competitions—including the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA European Championship, where he remains the all-time leading goalscorer—the absence of a World Cup knockout goal had long stood out as a rare anomaly.
That changed against Croatia. After seeing an earlier effort ruled out for a marginal offside, Ronaldo remained composed when awarded a penalty, converting from the spot to spark Portugal's comeback.
Portugal's victory sends them into the round of 16, where they will face Spain in one of the standout fixtures of the tournament. Having finally broken his World Cup knockout scoring duck, Ronaldo will now aim to add another memorable chapter to his World Cup legacy by helping Portugal overcome their Iberian rivals and one of the favourites for the title.
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