Guwahati: The Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo etched his name into the history books after becoming the oldest player to score in a FIFA World Cup knockout match, inspiring Portugal to a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over Croatia in the Round of 32 on Thursday.
Aged 41 years and 147 days, Ronaldo broke the previous record for the oldest goalscorer in a World Cup knockout fixture. His second-half penalty not only levelled the scores after Croatia had taken the lead but also marked the first knockout-stage goal of his World Cup career during his record sixth appearance at the tournament.
Croatia had gone ahead through Ivan Perisic, who became his country's all-time leading World Cup goalscorer. However, Ronaldo equalised from the penalty spot following a VAR review before substitute Gonçalo Ramos headed home a stoppage-time winner to seal Portugal's place in the Round of 16. Croatia also had two goals ruled out for offside, including a dramatic late equaliser deep into stoppage time, as Portugal held on to secure victory.
The result sets up an all-Iberian Round of 16 clash between Portugal and Spain, while the defeat is expected to mark the end of Luka Modric's FIFA World Cup career.
The victory also carried for Portugal, who paid tribute to former international Diogo Jota on the first anniversary of his death. After the final whistle, Ronaldo held up Jota's No. 21 Portugal shirt alongside his teammates before sharing a photograph on social media with the message: "We won for us, for Diogo, and for Portugal!!! LET'S GO!!!!" Portugal head coach Roberto Martínez had earlier named Jota an honorary member of the World Cup squad in recognition of his lasting impact on the team.