Cristiano Ronaldo finally broke his World Cup knockout hoodoo with a penalty against Croatia in Toronto — but the night was overshadowed by his sister’s claim that his international career is almost over.
The 41-year-old Portugal captain scored from the spot after referee Espen Eskas was advised by VAR to review a penalty decision for Nikola Vlasic’s foul on Renato Veiga. Ronaldo had claimed the ball before the official had even changed his decision, then made no mistake.
“Cristiano Ronaldo scores his first World Cup knockout goal, but his sister hints his international career is ending.”
The goal was his first ever in the knockout stages of the World Cup, having previously only scored in the group phase across six tournaments. It cancelled out Ivan Perisic’s opening goal for Croatia.
But the strike came after a moment of frustration. Ronaldo had a goal ruled out for offside by the smallest of margins earlier in the match. He later lasted only until the 80th minute, when manager Roberto Martinez substituted him. Ronaldo appeared visibly frustrated with the decision.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is not happy. He is not happy at all,” said former England international Stephen Warnock on BBC One. “Take the name out of it, it is the right decision. Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t affected the game enough. Yes, he scored the penalty. The link-up play, the pressing, it is not there from him.”
Warnock had earlier praised Ronaldo’s mentality, saying: “It is all about mindset and mentality. Cristiano Ronaldo has arguably got the strongest mentality in world football to be doing what he does at the age of 41. Big moments call for big players and he is the biggest player.”
The match could be one of Ronaldo’s last for Portugal. His sister, Katia Aveiro, told Portuguese broadcaster SportTV before kick-off: “From the information I have, they can say goodbye. Enjoy it while it lasts. It’s not today that they’re saying goodbye, but it’s soon. I believe this is their farewell. Enjoy it a lot. It will be difficult to find someone like him.”