World Cup 2026: Ronaldo finally breaks his knockout stage curse

02.07.26 FT World Cup

Portugal

2

:

Croatia

1

Silent since his debut in World Cup knockout stages, Cristiano Ronaldo has finally found the breakthrough against Croatia, claiming a historic record in the process.

This was one of the last statistics to elude Cristiano Ronaldo—a detail often highlighted as an anomaly in a career overflowing with records. In Portugal’s victory over Croatia (2-1), the Al-Nassr striker finally opened his account in a World Cup knockout match, converting a penalty to take his tally to three goals at this 2026 edition.

Also read: World Cup 2026 / Switzerland vs Algeria: the official lineups!

With this goal, the Portuguese captain climbs to eleven career World Cup goals. He also seizes another age-related record: at 41 years and 147 days, he becomes the oldest player ever to score in a World Cup knockout match, surpassing his compatriot Pepe, who scored at 39 against Switzerland (6-1) at the 2022 World Cup.

Mahdi Zakaria LAZRI |

Editor

Football web writer creating digital sports content with a focus on news, analysis and stories that reflect passion, accuracy and objectivity.

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