Ronaldo Scores First Tournament Goal, Leads Portugal to Dramatic Round of 16

[Anchor]

News from the North and Central America World Cup. The 41-year-old superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has led Portugal to a dramatic advancement to the Round of 16. By becoming the oldest goalscorer in World Cup knockout stage history, he continues his "last dance" on the World Cup stage.

Reporter Pyeon Gwanghyeon has the story.

[Reporter]

In the showdown between two legends, both born in 1985, Ronaldo and Luka Modric, it was Croatia that first broke the deadlock.

Eight minutes into the second half, 37-year-old veteran Ivan Perisic calmly finished a cross from the right flank with his left foot.

However, Portugal had 41-year-old Ronaldo.

In the 23rd minute of the second half, he confidently struck a penalty kick, earned by his teammate Veiga, straight down the middle to level the score.

Although he had scored 10 goals in total across six World Cups, Ronaldo had never scored in a knockout stage match. He tasted victory in a "do-or-die" match for the first time in his life and broke the record for the oldest goalscorer in tournament history.

The match, tied at 1-1, took a dramatic turn in second-half stoppage time.

Rafael Leao delivered a cross, and Goncalo Ramos finished it with a header, finally turning the game around for Portugal.

Croatia launched an all-out attack and found the back of the net just before the final whistle, seemingly forcing the game into extra time. However, a video assistant referee (VAR) review ruled it offside, and the intense battle ended in a 2-1 comeback victory for Portugal.

Ronaldo shared a warm embrace with Modric, with whom he played for six years at Real Madrid, and took a moment to pay tribute to his former national team teammate Jota, who passed away in a traffic accident exactly one year ago, by wearing his jersey.

[Cristiano Ronaldo/Portugal National Football Team Forward: As you all know, this was also a tribute to Jota, so today's victory brings us great joy. It is a truly special day.]

Modric, who concluded his own World Cup journey, comforted his teammates.

[Luka Modric/Croatia National Football Team Midfielder: Considering the performance we showed, especially in the second half, our team should hold their heads high. It was just that we were unlucky today.]

Portugal will face the "Invincible Armada" Spain on July 7 to compete for a spot in the quarterfinals.

(Video Editing: Park Chun-bae)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.