Portugal advanced to the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Croatia in Toronto on Thursday, a match defined by Cristiano Ronaldo finally breaking his knockout-stage scoring duck. The 41-year-old converted a 68th-minute penalty to equalise after Ivan Perišić had given Croatia the lead, before substitute Gonçalo Ramos headed a stoppage-time winner. Croatia had a dramatic equaliser disallowed for offside after a lengthy VAR review, sealing their exit and sending the Seleção das Quinas into a meeting with Spain.

The contest at BMO Field swung on a series of tight calls. Perišić put Croatia ahead in the 53rd minute, but Ronaldo, who had earlier seen a goal ruled out for offside, drew Portugal level from the spot after Nikola Vlašić fouled Renato Veiga. The penalty, struck low and hard, was Ronaldo’s 11th World Cup goal and his first in eight knockout appearances across six tournaments. He was replaced in the 81st minute by Ramos, a substitution that visibly frustrated the captain, but the decision paid off when Ramos met a Rafael Leão cross to score in the fourth minute of added time. Croatia believed they had forced extra time when Joško Gvardiol turned the ball home in the 13th minute of stoppage time, but the goal was chalked off after a frame-by-frame VAR check detected an offside in the build-up.

Ronaldo’s penalty rewrote the record books. At 41 years and 147 days, he became the oldest player to score in a men’s World Cup knockout match, surpassing the mark held by his former teammate Pepe. He also became the oldest outfield player to start a knockout fixture, eclipsing Edin Džeko’s record set just a day earlier. Brazilian media described the goal as the end of a “tabu” that had haunted the forward since 2006, while Indonesian outlets highlighted the age records and the rarity of a match featuring two outfield players over 40 — Croatia’s Luka Modrić, at 40 years and 296 days, also started. Iranian reports noted the chaotic 19 minutes of added time and the emotional scenes as Modrić, possibly playing his last World Cup match, walked slowly towards the Croatian fans after the final whistle.

Portugal now face Spain in the round of 16 on Tuesday, a renewal of a storied Iberian rivalry. For Croatia, the defeat likely marks the end of a generation: Modrić and Perišić, both in the twilight of their international careers, may not appear at another World Cup. Ronaldo, meanwhile, continues to defy age, his first knockout goal adding a missing line to a glittering résumé and keeping alive Portugal’s pursuit of a maiden world title.