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Portugal mounted a comeback to beat Croatia 2–1 in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup, with legendary forward Cristiano Ronaldo etching yet another extraordinary milestone into the record books in the process.
As the situation grew increasingly dire for Portugal, Ronaldo stepped up and coolly converted a penalty to draw the scores level in the 68th minute. At 41 years and 146 days of age, Ronaldo became the oldest player ever to score in the knockout rounds of the World Cup—while also claiming the record as the oldest player to appear in the knockout stage.
With 976 official goals to his credit, Ronaldo stands alone as the most prolific goalscorer in the history of world football. For more than two decades, the legendary forward has consistently found the net for both club and country.
Yet his strike against Croatia also represented a stunning career first for "CR7." The expertly taken penalty was the first World Cup knockout stage goal of Ronaldo's entire career. In claiming this latest record, Ronaldo simultaneously sidestepped an unwanted one.
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Cristiano Ronaldo Avoids Unwanted World Cup Record
Before equalizing from the penalty spot against Croatia, Ronaldo had gone without a goal across eight career knockout matches, the second-longest scoreless run by a forward in World Cup history.
Had he failed to score at BMO Field in Toronto, Ronaldo would have joined Netherlands forward Dirk Kuyt as the forwards with the most knockout appearances without netting a single goal in World Cup history. The unwanted distinction would have been even more embarrassing for Ronaldo given that Kuyt featured primarily as a right wing-back during his final World Cup campaign with the Netherlands in 2014.
Forwards With Most World Cup Knockout Games Played Without a Goal
Player | Team | World Cup KO Games Played |
|---|---|---|
Dirk Kuyt | Netherlands | 9 |
Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 8 |
Denilson | Brazil | 7 |
Marcus Rashford | England | 7 |
Ousmane Dembélé | France | 6 |
Ronaldo did convert the decisive penalty for Portugal in a shootout against England in the 2006 quarterfinals, though goals scored in penalty shootouts are not counted as official goals.
For a player who scored so prolifically at major tournaments at both club and international level—including the Champions League and the Euros, where he holds the all-time scoring record in both competitions—it was remarkable that Ronaldo had never managed to score in the decisive stages of a World Cup.
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Against Croatia, however, after seeing a goal ruled out for a tight offside call, Ronaldo refused to be denied, holding his nerve from the spot to lay the groundwork for Portugal's turnaround.
Portugal's progression past Croatia into the round of 16 sets up a mouthwatering showdown against Spain. With Ronaldo having just ended his knockout stage drought, he will be eager to continue building his World Cup legacy with a standout display that helps Portugal eliminate their Iberian rivals and one of the tournament's strongest title contenders.