Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goal in a World Cup knockout match on his ninth attempt, converting a second-half penalty to help Portugal come from behind and defeat Croatia 2-1 in Toronto. The strike, which made him the oldest goalscorer in the tournament’s knockout history at 41 years and 147 days, cancelled out Ivan Perišić’s opener and ended a personal drought that had stretched across five previous editions. Gonçalo Ramos, on as a substitute for Ronaldo, headed in a stoppage-time winner before Croatia had a dramatic equaliser disallowed for offside after a VAR review, sending Portugal into a round-of-16 meeting with Spain.

The decisive sequence began in the 68th minute, when referee intervention for a foul on Renato Veiga off the ball led to a penalty after a video check. Ronaldo drove the spot-kick low to the goalkeeper’s right, levelling the score and igniting a Portuguese fightback. Earlier, a Ronaldo goal had been ruled out for offside, and he was later replaced by Ramos in the 81st minute, a substitution that drew visible frustration from the captain. Ramos then rose to meet a Rafael Leão cross in the fourth minute of added time, and Croatia’s apparent equaliser in the 13th minute of stoppage time was overturned because Joško Gvardiol was offside in the build-up.

Viewed from South American and Asian media perspectives, the match was framed as the end of a long-standing anomaly in Ronaldo’s career. Brazilian outlets noted that he had previously played seven knockout matches without scoring, his closest call being a converted penalty in a shootout against England in 2006, which FIFA does not count in official goal tallies. Indonesian and Indian reports highlighted the age records: Ronaldo became the oldest outfield player to start a knockout match, surpassing Edin Džeko’s mark set a day earlier, and the second-oldest World Cup goalscorer overall behind Roger Milla. The presence of Luka Modrić, aged 40, made it the first knockout fixture to feature two outfield players over 40 on opposing sides.

Ronaldo’s 11th World Cup goal extended his national record and moved him level with Jürgen Klinsmann and Sándor Kocsis on the all-time list, though he remains well behind Lionel Messi’s 19 and Kylian Mbappé’s 18. The goal also earned him the player-of-the-match award, making him the oldest recipient of that honour in a knockout tie. Across the Middle East, Iranian coverage dwelled on the chaotic closing stages, noting that Croatian fans threw objects onto the pitch in protest at the disallowed goal, while Modrić walked slowly to acknowledge supporters who stayed behind in what may have been his final World Cup appearance.

Portugal’s victory sets up a clash with Spain on Tuesday, a fixture that pits the European champions against a side that has never won the World Cup. The winner will advance to the quarter-finals, and for Ronaldo, the tournament remains the one major honour missing from his collection.