Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Cristiano Ronaldo will not make any decisions on his Portugal future until after their World Cup campaign, which remains alive following a dramatic last-32 triumph over Croatia.
Playing at his sixth edition of the tournament, Ronaldo ended his long wait for a goal in the knockout rounds on Thursday as Portugal emerged as 2-1 victors in Toronto.
But that does not tell the full story of a chaotic game, as the 41-year-old’s penalty got Portugal level after Ivan Perisic had opened the scoring.
Ronaldo was then surprisingly substituted in the 81st minute, with Roberto Martinez introducing Ruben Neves as an extra midfielder after watching Croatia retake control of the game, and Goncalo Ramos – another substitute – restored Portugal’s lead with a 94th-minute header.
There was even more drama to come as Josko Gvardiol saw a potential equaliser disallowed in the 15th minute of stoppage time due to a subjective offside call, with Igor Matanovic said to have got a slight touch on a cross, which meant Mario Pasalic was offside.
A subsequent touch off the back of Portugal’s Renato Veiga, which could have reset the phase of play and led to the goal being awarded, was deemed to be unintentional.
That huge call ensured Ronaldo will get at least one more appearance on football’s grandest stage, with Portugal heading to Dallas to face Spain on Monday.
Before Thursday’s game, reports circulated that Ronaldo had already decided to call time on his glittering international career whenever Portugal’s campaign ends, but he insists he is yet to consider his options.
“The future isn’t important right now,” Ronaldo told Sport TV.
“I’ll talk about it, I’ll have time – after we win or lose – to talk to my family and then make decisions the way I do.
“I don’t make decisions on the spur of the moment any more. Now, I take everything calmly. For now, it’s about enjoying today.”
4 – Including shoot-outs, Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored penalties at major tournaments for Portugal as a teenager (1), in his 20s (2), in his 30s (8) and in his 40s (1).
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 3, 2026
Ronaldo’s successful spot-kick was his 31st shot in World Cup knockout-stage games, while it was also the only one of his 25 touches against Croatia to take place in the box.
The Opta supercomputer assigns Portugal a 5.13% chance of winning the World Cup for the first time, while Spain are given a 13.17% chance of claiming their second title.
La Roja are marginal favourites to progress from Tuesday’s round-of-16 tie, with a 59.8% probability, and Ronaldo knows a tough test will await Roberto Martinez’s side.
“We know Spain have the quality to win the World Cup,” the former Real Madrid icon said.
“It’s going to be a difficult game like all of them from now on. We know them well. We are going to be ready.”
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