Cristiano Ronaldo has scored World Cup goals since 2006. He has scored them in groups, in opening matches, against teams expected to lose and teams expected to win. He has never scored one in a knockout round. Five World Cups. Not one knockout goal.
Until Thursday.
Nikola Vlasic fouled Renato Veiga inside the box in the 68th minute. Penalty to Portugal. Ronaldo placed the ball, took his run, watched the goalkeeper dive right, and rolled it down the middle. The net moved. His teammates ran towards him. He waved them away and pointed upward.
At 41, five World Cups in, he finally scored in a knockout match.
Twenty-six minutes later, Gonçalo Ramos headed the winner. Portugal 2-1 Croatia. Luka Modric walked off BMO Field for the last time at a World Cup.
How it happened
The first half was tidy without being dangerous. Portugal passed through Croatia’s lines consistently. Croatia held their shape and absorbed. Modric, still threading passes at 40 with the economy that has defined his career, kept his side balanced and hard to break.
Then Ivan Perisic settled it in the 53rd minute. He found space on the left flank and drove a low strike across Diogo Costa. 1-0 Croatia. The stadium fell quiet.
Portugal pressed. For 15 minutes Croatia held. Then Vlasic grabbed Veiga, the referee pointed to the spot, and Ronaldo did what Ronaldo does from 12 yards.
1-1. And history made.
The drama had one more move. In the closing minutes, Josip Gvardiol rose at the back post and the ball entered the net. Croatia players sprinted away to celebrate. The assistant’s flag went up: offside. A goal that would have sent Croatia through, taken away in an instant.
Two minutes into stoppage time, Rafael Leão drove down the left and squared it. Ramos, on as a substitute, powered a header into the bottom corner. 2-1.
Modric’s last dance
Luka Modric played every minute. He chased lost balls, covered space, created where Croatia could not create, and organised what needed organising. At 40, he was still the best player on the pitch for stretches.
He leaves the tournament without the medal the game owes him. He leaves having proved once more, in case anyone needed reminding, that he is among the finest European midfielders of the last generation. The World Cup stage suited him. He just never got the winner’s medal.
Portugal’s bench wins it
Ramos and Leão both came on as substitutes and combined for the winner. Roberto Martinez used his depth to change a match his starting eleven had not settled. That is a tactical tool that will matter against Spain on Sunday: Portugal carry options. Whether they can keep Spain out is a different question.
What comes next
Portugal face Spain in the Round of 16 in Dallas on Sunday 6 July at 8pm BST. It is the third time these neighbours have met at a World Cup: Spain won 1-0 in the 2010 round of 16; the 2018 group stage produced a 3-3 draw. Sport does not do restraint when these two nations meet.
On the same day, Spain beat Austria 3-0 in Los Angeles with 23 shots and a shot-on-target count of 10 against Austria’s five shots and zero on target. Portugal will need to be better defensively than they were in stages against Croatia.
Statistics sourced from ESPN, France 24, NBC Sports, Fox Sports, CBS Sports and WhoScored. Data correct at time of writing.
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