Cristiano Ronaldo breaks a World Cup record that Lionel Messi is unable to surpass in 2026.
During Portugal’s 2-1 victory against Croatia in the Round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday (local time), captain Cristiano Ronaldo made history by becoming the oldest player to score in a FIFA World Cup knockout match.
The 41-year-old attained the milestone at the age of 41 years and 147 days, surpassing the previous mark for the oldest goalscorer in a World Cup knockout fixture. It’s interesting to note that Al-Nassr captain Ronaldo, who is competing in a record sixth FIFA World Cup, scored his first goal in a knockout match.
After a VAR review gave Portugal a penalty kick in the 67th minute, Ronaldo scored from the spot to tie the score for Roberto Martinez’s team and cancel out Ivan Perisic’s first goal for Croatia. Because of his outstanding play throughout the game, the renowned football player was also named Player of the Match.
FIFA 2026: Portugal advance to the round of 16 at the world cup
In the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32, Portugal pulled off a thrilling 2-1 comeback victory over Croatia. Roberto Martinez’s team advanced to the Round of 16 thanks to a stoppage-time goal from substitute Goncalo Ramos.
Croatia had grabbed the lead through Ivan Perisic, who became the country’s record World Cup scorer, before Cristiano Ronaldo equalised from the penalty spot after a VAR review.
Leave a Reply