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Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo captured a warm moment as he stepped onto a balcony overlooking the streets of Toronto and acknowledged the large crowd of supporters gathered below after his side secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia in the Round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday (local time), sealing qualification for the Round of 16.
Ronaldo smiled, waved, and gestured toward the fans, who had assembled to catch a glimpse of the football icon. In an Instagram post, he wrote, "Toronto." https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaU63nnAkoo/?igsh=MWZwNjN0ZGJnbXhpbg%3D%3D Ronaldo also etched his name into the history books by becoming the oldest player to score in a FIFA World Cup knockout match during Portugal's 2-1 victory over Croatia. The football legend reached the milestone at the age of 41 years and 147 days, surpassing the previous record for the oldest goalscorer in a World Cup knockout fixture, held by Lionel Messi (39). https://x.com/FIFAcom/status/2072878905178878078?s=20 Interestingly, it is also the first-ever goal in Knockout matches for Ronaldo, who is featuring in his record sixth FIFA World Cup. Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot in the 67th minute after a VAR review awarded Portugal a spot-kick, cancelling out Ivan Perisic's opener for Croatia and bringing Roberto Martinez's side level. The legendary footballer was also named Player of the Match for his superb performance throughout the match. Croatia had taken the lead through Ivan Perisic, who became the country's all-time leading World Cup scorer, before Cristiano Ronaldo equalised from the penalty spot after a VAR review. Croatia had two goals ruled out for offside, including a late equaliser deep into stoppage time, as Portugal held on to set up a Round of 16 clash against Spain. The match also marked the end of Luka Modric's potential World Cup career. (ANI)
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