Portugal found themselves in serious danger against Croatia in the Round of 32, teetering on the edge of elimination from the 2026 World Cup. In a moment of crisis, Cristiano Ronaldo gave the Selecao a lifeline, stepping up to convert an equalizing penalty.
While dominating possession, Portugal struggled to create clear-cut chances in the first half. Croatia grew into the game in the second 45 minutes, pushing forward against a disorganized Portuguese backline, and in the 53rd minute Josip Stanisic delivered a cross that Ivan Perisic converted to put Croatia ahead.
In the 65th minute, a corner kick led to Nikola Vlasic pulling down Renato Veiga from behind as he prepared to meet the ball with a header. The foul went unpunished initially, but referee Espen Eskas was called to the monitor by VAR and ultimately awarded the spot kick to Portugal.
With the penalty given, Ronaldo picked up the ball, kissed it, and took responsibility for the crucial moment. He kept his composure, sending Dominik Livakovic the wrong way and slotting the ball in the middle of the goal to level the match at 1-1.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s first World Cup knockout stage goal
For all his records and achievements as soccer’s all-time leading scorer, Ronaldo had never found the net in a World Cup knockout game, until now. The goal against Croatia is the first time the Portuguese icon has scored in the win-or-go-home stage of the sport’s most prestigious competition.
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Ramos puts Portugal in Round of 16 with late goal over Croatia (2-1)
Across his career, Ronaldo appeared in 25 World Cup matches prior to this tournament, eight of which came in the knockout rounds, most notably during Portugal’s run to the semifinals in 2006. All 10 of his previous goals in the competition had come in the group stage, but in his 26th World Cup appearance, he finally broke that drought, scoring his 11th goal on the biggest stage of all.
