Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Jul 3: Cristiano Ronaldo created more FIFA World Cup history as Portugal came from behind to beat Croatia and book a place in the Round of 16, where they will face Spain after the latter cruised to a 3-0 victory over Austria.
Ronaldo scored his first-ever goal in a World Cup knockout match, becoming the oldest player to score in the knockout stages at the age of 41 years and 147 days. It was also his third goal of the 2026 tournament, taking his combined tally across the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship to more than 25 goals — a first in men's football.
The Portuguese captain also became the first player to feature in a World Cup knockout match after turning 41. The contest against Croatia also marked the first World Cup knockout fixture to feature three players with more than 20 World Cup appearances — Ronaldo (26), Luka Modric (23) and Ivan Perisic (21).
Portugal completed their first World Cup knockout-stage comeback victory since defeating North Korea in 1966, with Goncalo Ramos scoring the winner in stoppage time. Ramos now averages a goal or assist every 37 minutes at the World Cup, the best ratio by any Portuguese player in the tournament's history with at least five goal contributions.
For Croatia, Ivan Perisic became only the sixth player to score in four different FIFA World Cups and the oldest Croatian to find the net at the tournament.
Meanwhile, Spain eased past Austria 3-0 to continue their impressive campaign. Goalkeeper Unai Simon set a new World Cup record by extending his unbeaten run without conceding to 519 minutes, surpassing Italy's Walter Zenga.
Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal continued to shine, becoming the youngest player since 1966 to record at least 10 touches inside the opposition box and 10 successful dribbles in a World Cup match. He and Pau Cubarsi also became the first pair of teenagers to start a World Cup knockout game for the same team since Brazil's Pele and Jose Altafini in 1958.
Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice to become the first Spanish player to net two or more goals in two different matches at the same World Cup.
The victories set up one of the most anticipated ties of the Round of 16, with Iberian rivals Portugal and Spain set to face each other for a place in the quarterfinals.