Cristiano Ronaldo stepped onto a balcony overlooking the streets of Toronto and acknowledged a large crowd of supporters after Portugal's dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia in the Round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday. The win secured Portugal's qualification for the Round of 16.
Ronaldo smiled, waved, and gestured toward the fans who had assembled to catch a glimpse of the football icon. In an Instagram post, he simply wrote, "Toronto."
Oldest goalscorer in World Cup knockout match
Ronaldo etched his name into the history books by becoming the oldest player to score in a FIFA World Cup knockout match during the victory. At the age of 41 years and 147 days, he surpassed the previous record held by Lionel Messi (39 years) for the oldest goalscorer in a World Cup knockout fixture, according to FIFA.
Interestingly, this was also Ronaldo's first-ever goal in a World Cup knockout match, despite featuring in his record sixth FIFA World Cup.
Match details: Penalty and VAR review
Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot in the 67th minute after a VAR review awarded Portugal a spot-kick. The goal cancelled out Ivan Perisic's opener for Croatia and brought Roberto Martinez's side level. Ronaldo was also named Player of the Match for his superb performance.
Croatia had taken the lead through Ivan Perisic, who became the country's all-time leading World Cup scorer. Croatia had two goals ruled out for offside, including a late equaliser deep into stoppage time, as Portugal held on to set up a Round of 16 clash against Spain. The match also marked the potential end of Luka Modric's World Cup career.
Ronaldo's record-breaking run continues
FIFA acknowledged the milestone on social media, tweeting, "Cristiano Ronaldo continues to break records at FIFA World Cup 2026." The 41-year-old forward has now scored in six different World Cups, a feat unmatched in football history.
