Ronaldo's Knockout Drought in the Spotlight
Portugal icon Cristiano Ronaldo will be aiming to remove one massive stain from his resume as his side takes on Croatia in the round of 32 of the ongoing FIFA World Cup. The superstar is yet to score a goal in a FIFA World Cup knockout match, despite his prolific record in the group stages.
The Portugal-Croatia clash will mark a battle between Ronaldo and Luka Modric, both of whom wore the colours of Real Madrid together for years. This encounter adds an extra layer of intrigue as two former club teammates face off on the international stage.
A Record-Breaking Career Without a Knockout Goal
Ronaldo has scored in six successive FIFA World Cups from his debut tournament in 2006, but he has never found the net in a knockout match for Portugal. In 2006, Portugal registered a fourth-place finish, with a round of 16 finish each in the 2010 and 2018 editions. In 2014, Portugal faced a group stage exit, while they made it to the quarterfinals in the 2022 edition in Qatar.
During the match against Colombia, the 41-year-old Portugal captain made his 25th FIFA World Cup appearance, drawing level with Germany great Lothar Matthaus for the second-most appearances in the tournament's history. Only Argentina captain Lionel Messi, with 29 appearances, has featured in more World Cup matches than Ronaldo.
Recent Form and Milestones
During the match against Uzbekistan, Ronaldo led Portugal's charge with two goals, while Nuno Mendes and Rafael Leao also found the net. An own goal involving Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov further compounded the misery for Fabio Cannavaro's side as Roberto Martinez's men secured their first win of the tournament in emphatic fashion.
Ronaldo's brace saw him become Portugal's all-time leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history, taking his tally to 10 goals, surpassing Eusebio's record of nine. Eusebio, a Portuguese legend and 1965 Ballon d'Or winner, famously guided the team to third place at the 1966 World Cup. Behind Ronaldo and Eusebio, Pauleta is third on Portugal's World Cup scoring list with four goals.
Ronaldo also became the first player to score in six different FIFA World Cup tournaments, ending his 10-match goalless streak across major competitions (the FIFA World Cup and the Euro Championship).
Portugal's Campaign and Road Ahead
Portugal's result came as a strong response after they were held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo in their opening group-stage encounter, a performance that put Ronaldo's team under scrutiny. The victory helped Portugal get their World Cup campaign back on track and significantly boosted their goal difference ahead of the final group fixture.
Now, with the knockout stage upon them, all eyes will be on Ronaldo to see if he can finally break his goalless streak and lead Portugal deeper into the tournament.
