Cristiano Ronaldo's inclusion successful Portugal's starting lineup for its round-of-32 triumph against Croatia astatine the 2026 FIFA World Cup allowed him to marque much history. And helium acceptable different grounds aboriginal successful the match, too.
At 41 years and 147 days old, the Portugal prima became the oldest subordinate to ever play successful a World Cup knockout-stage lucifer connected Thursday. He besides became the oldest subordinate to people a extremity successful the knockout signifier of the World Cup with his punishment footwear extremity successful the 68th minute. It marked the archetypal extremity Ronaldo has ever scored successful the knockout signifier astatine the World Cup arsenic well.
Thursday was Ronaldo's 26th World Cup match, moving him 1 down ex-Germany midfielder Lothar Matthäus for the second-most matches played by a subordinate astatine the World Cup. Argentina prima Lionel Messi holds the grounds astatine 29.
Ronaldo had lone secured 1 triumph successful the World Cup's knockout signifier since helium helped Portugal decorativeness successful 4th spot astatine the 2006 World Cup anterior to Thursday. His punishment footwear extremity helped commencement the comeback for Portugal against Croatia, though, leveling the lucifer earlier Gonçalo Ramos scored the game-winner 4 minutes into stoppage time.
Ronaldo wasn't the lone prima successful his 40s who played successful Thursday's Portugal-Croatia match. Luka Modrić started and captained Croatia connected Thursday, astatine 40 years and 296 days old. As such, it marked the archetypal World Cup lucifer ever to diagnostic 2 outfield players implicit the property of 40 playing against each other.
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