Ronaldo penalty sparks Portugal's 2-1 comeback win over Croatia

The fortunes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric diverged sharply on Thursday.

Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Toronto Stadium in Canada, with Ronaldo's penalty providing the equalizer.

The match pitted 41-year-old superstar striker Ronaldo against 40-year-old veteran midfielder Luka Modric — two icons of their era who each declared before the tournament that it would be their last World Cup. For Ronaldo, it is his sixth; for Modric, his fifth. The two were teammates at Real Madrid from 2012 to 2018.

Croatia took the lead in the 53rd minute when Ivan Perisic converted a cross from Josip Stanisic on the right, drilling a left-footed shot into the net.

Portugal pushed back hard, but Rafael Leao's curling right-footed effort struck the crossbar in the 58th minute, and three minutes later Ronaldo had a lofted goal ruled out for offside.

The equalizer came in the 68th minute when Croatia's Nikola Vlasic fouled Portugal's Renato Veiga as a cross came in, drawing a penalty. Ronaldo converted, his first goal in World Cup knockout play, lifting his career World Cup tally to 11 — his third of this tournament.

Portugal completed the comeback in the 94th minute when Goncalo Ramos headed home a cross from Leao to make it 2-1.

Croatia thought they had equalized deep into stoppage time when Josko Gvardiol fired home from close range, but the referee overturned the goal after a VAR on-field review for offside, sealing Portugal's victory.

Portugal face Spain at Dallas Stadium in the United States at 4 a.m. Tuesday, with a quarterfinal berth on the line.