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Cristiano Ronaldo's mother, Dolores Aveiro, has thrown her support behind Portugal ahead of their crucial FIFA World Cup Round of 32 clash against Croatia, posting a heartfelt message alongside a photograph with her son on Instagram.
Sharing the image before Portugal's must-win encounter at Toronto Stadium, Dolores captioned the post, "Forca Portugal" ("Come on, Portugal"), as the five-time Ballon d'Or winner prepares to lead his country in one of their biggest matches of the tournament. Dolores has been a constant presence during Portugal's World Cup campaign. She was also in attendance for Portugal's previous fixture against Colombia in the United States, where Roberto Martinez's side were held to a goalless draw. Portugal now face a stern challenge against a disciplined Croatia side captained by 40-year-old Luka Modric, with a place in the pre-quarterfinals at stake. After drawing two of their three group-stage matches, Ronaldo and his teammates will be looking to produce their best performance of the tournament against one of Europe's most consistent sides. The occasion also carries deep emotional significance for Portugal, as the match falls on the first death anniversary of former Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota, who tragically died in a road accident in Spain last year. Players and supporters are expected to pay tribute to the late striker before the match. Ahead of the fixture, Ronaldo also reached out to Portuguese fans through social media, posting with a handshake emoji and the national flag, "Facam-nos sentir em casa", urging supporters to "make us feel at home" in Toronto. The veteran forward has already enjoyed a landmark tournament. During Portugal's group-stage draw against Colombia, Ronaldo made his 25th FIFA World Cup appearance, drawing level with Germany legend Lothar Matthaus for the second-most appearances in the competition's history. Only Argentina captain Lionel Messi, with 29 matches, has featured more often at the World Cup. Ronaldo also etched his name deeper into Portuguese football history during his side's commanding victory over Uzbekistan. The 41-year-old struck twice as Portugal cruised to a convincing win, with Nuno Mendes and Rafael Leao also getting on the scoresheet, while an own goal by Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov completed the rout. The brace took Ronaldo's World Cup tally to 10 goals, making him Portugal's outright leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history, surpassing the legendary Eusebio's previous record of nine. Pauleta remains third on the nation's all-time World Cup scoring list with four goals. The performance also made Ronaldo the first player ever to score in six different FIFA World Cup tournaments, ending a 10-match goal drought across the World Cup and UEFA European Championship. Having recovered from a slow start to the campaign, Portugal will now hope their captain can once again inspire them when they face Croatia with a place in the last 16 on the line. (ANI)
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