One goal for Cristiano Ronaldo, one headache for Portugal
For almost an hour, Cristiano Ronaldo looked as frustrated in Toronto as he has at any time during this World Cup.
Croatia pushed him out of the competition; his movement rarely found the pass he wanted and the chances he did get ended either by inches or with an offside flag raised. The Portugal captain managed just 17 touches in the first half and despite dominating possession and territory, failed to register a shot from open play or a single touch inside Croatia’s penalty area.
And yet, full-time, he finally achieved something he’d been chasing for two decades.
Ronaldo’s calm penalty helped Portugal overturn a deficit to beat Croatia 2-1 and, more importantly for him, erase the only remaining gap in his extraordinary World Cup run.
But while the 41-year-old finally ticked off the latest statistical milestone that had eluded him, Portugal left Toronto with an entirely different conversation.
Goncal Ramos’ winning header and Roberto Martinez’s willingness to replace his captain suddenly made the build-up to the round of 16 clash with Spain a lot more interesting than it seemed just hours ago.
This is not necessarily a debate about whether Ronaldo should start. It’s a debate about what gives Portugal the best chance against one of the strongest opponents left in the tournament.
THE GAME NEVER FOUND RONALDO
Portugal arguably played their best football of the World Cup in the first half without really bringing Ronaldo into it.
Rafael Leao was relentless down the left, Pedro Neto constantly stretched Croatia’s defense and Bruno Fernandes repeatedly found space between the lines. Portugal created chances but rarely got into the areas Ronaldo wanted.
Neto’s cross drifted inches past his diving header. Another teasing delivery across the six-yard box went untouched. A well-known free-kick hit the wall before what looked to be his breakthrough was denied by an offside flag.
Croatia had a lot to do with it.
Marin Pongracic and Josip Sutalo pushed past Ronaldo with every yard, while Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic kept Portugal building in wide areas rather than feeding their captain through the middle.
The game unfolded around Ronaldo rather than through him, a sign of age and the passage of time for a player who spent two decades at the heart of almost every Portuguese attack.
The numbers reflected that. Ronaldo completed 19 of his 20 passes but created no chances, attempted no dribbles and finished with just one shot over 81 minutes, a penalty alone.
RONALDO’S 1ST KNOCKOUT GOAL WORLD CUP
Portugal’s equalizer came after Renato Veiga was brought down in the box at a corner, with VAR eventually awarding a penalty after a lengthy review. And from the moment of the decision until the cameras rolled to the 12-yard box, there was no doubt in the world who would take it.
Ronaldo drove the penalty straight down the middle for his 11th World Cup goal and eventually his first in the knockout stages. A moment that has somehow eluded him in six tournaments, despite all he has achieved in international football.
The goal changed the mood in the stadium, but it did not immediately change the course of the game.
Martinez’s four attacking substitutions after Ivan Perisic had put Croatia ahead left Portugal worryingly open through midfield. Kovacic repeatedly drove into huge spaces, hitting the post and forcing Diogo Costa into another excellent save as Croatia looked the more dangerous side.
With nine minutes left, Ronaldo’s number was up.
The Portugal coach introduced Rben Neves and sacrificed his captain for better control in midfield. Ronaldo didn’t hide his frustration, but the substitution was probably the manager’s first truly correct decision at this World Cup.
Portugal needed another midfielder much more than another striker.
Martinez made the big call.
Fortunately for him, it worked.
ENTER: SUPER SUB RAMOS
Neves helped restore the balance, Portugal regained control and then came the decisive moment.
Leao, Portugal’s brightest striker all evening, volleyed to the far post where Goncalo Ramos rose above two Croatian defenders to head home the winner with virtually the first meaningful effort.
Ronaldo was the first player off the bench to celebrate with him.
It was an appropriate image. One striker has finally completed his World Cup story. The other just made sure it continued.
Ramos’ post shouldn’t automatically turn this into a baseless Ronaldo vs. Ramos debate. Both offer completely different qualities.
Ronaldo remains the biggest presence in this Portuguese team. His movement in the box, composure at crucial moments and sheer aura continue to make him a player to be reckoned with by opponents.
Ramos, meanwhile, brings something different.
He presses tirelessly, stretches the defensive lines with his runs and gives Portugal more mobility without the ball. Against Croatia, he only needed one real chance to show why Martinez continues to trust him.
That difference suddenly matters a lot more when Spain is waiting.
SPAIN PRESENTS A DIFFERENT TEST
Croatia exposed a weakness that Portugal cannot afford to carry into the round of 16.
Once Martinez chased the game by flooding the pitch with forwards, Portugal lost complete control of the midfield. Kovacic repeatedly broke through the middle, Perisic found space to create from wide areas and Croatia thought they had forced extra time on three separate occasions before VAR denied them each time.
Spain is unlikely to be so forgiving.
Luis de la Fuente’s team looked the most balanced team at this World Cup, next to France of course.
A tiki-taka show of match control in midfield before squeezing the opponent without the ball. If Croatia could create these spaces, Spain will believe that it can use them even more ruthlessly.
Therefore, the biggest question before the round of 16 is not only whether Ronaldo will start.
It comes down to whether Martinez favors experience or balance.
He already showed against Croatia that his decision will not be determined by sentiment. It took conviction to replace Ronaldo with a game hanging in the balance, even though we saw very little of it from the boss or the team.
Whether he goes one step further against Spain is another question, but Ramos’ winner at least showed him the inevitable existence of an option.
Ramos hasn’t supplanted Ronaldo with one header and neither performance should erase everything the captain still has to offer.
But against a Spanish team that appears on paper to be one of the favorites for the tournament, Martinez now has a tactical decision that didn’t seem so difficult before Croatia.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
03 Jul 2026 14:06 IST