Read for 5 minutesNew YorkUpdated: July 3, 2026 08:46 AM IST
At his happiest moments, Cristiano Ronaldo did not forget his two old friends, Luka Modric and the late Diogo Jota. After 20 minutes of stoppage time, full of drama, drained of every tinge of emotion, Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 to reach the round of 16, with Ronaldo wrapping Modric in a deep hug. He whispered something in his ear, held a brotherly face and wiped away a drop of Modric’s tear.
In that poignant moment of fraternity, the relevance of the result faded.
Shortly afterwards he went to the pitch-side dugout and changed into Jota’s jerseyThe Portuguese forward who tragically died in a car accident last year blinked his eyes to the sky and said a silent prayer. It was perhaps the most emotional day of Ronaldo’s career.
Had destiny had a different will, the scenes would have been different. Ronaldo could have left the stage with his dream unfulfilled; It was his former Real Madrid teammate’s turn to bow out. Modric will be remembered as one of the greatest and toughest players to ever play the game; Yet his last game ended in heartbreak in a heartbreaking way.
As it happened: Portugal vs Croatia FIFA World Cup 2026 Highlights
Portugal team wearing Diogo Jota’s jersey as a tribute after their win against Croatia. (AP)
VAR plays
In the 13th minute of unusually long stoppage time, Modric thought his side had found an equaliser, that they would live a little longer in the competition. Josko Guardiola appears to have directed the ball into the goal (or was Ruben Dias the final touch?) but to score, Igor Matanovic, the VAR referee, winged the ball according to Snico’s version of football. At the same moment, Mario Pasalic, whose errant shot Guardiola slid in, was onside.
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Countless replays were played, the manager and support staff pacing down the touchline; Players and substitutes were predicting and debating the outcome. Adding to the suspense, the PA system in the stadium malfunctioned. The referee had to wait a few more minutes to announce the decision. And when it arrived, one side split
The end of the game was always going to be brutal. For so long, Ronaldo’s dream seemed to be over. In a first half of scrappy energy, quick transitions, quick counter-attacks, manic defending and ferocious finishing, Ivan Persic, 37 years old and himself a Croatian legend, led his side. Ronaldo wore the face of a man who knew there was no tomorrow. For Portugal and Ronaldo, the recovery was not quick, although they resisted the second goal.
Former Real Madrid teammates Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo. (AP)
The old Ronaldo
Then with pure instinct and brilliance that refused to leave his master, Ronaldo slowed down time and traveled back a decade to equalise. Or what it seemed to be before VAR intervened and noticed that Ronaldo was slightly off-side. The first touch on the outside of the ball to control the cross and the flick of the ankle to round the ball goal-wards was Ronaldo-esque pinnacle. He bounced on the touchline and hit a restrained version of SIU. But when he looked back, he saw no one. He looked at the referee and knew his fate. Maybe it wasn’t his day.
Still, it was. The clock struck 67 minutes and fate smiled upon him. Portugal get a penalty. Ronaldo kept the ball in place with ease. There was no question as to who would take it. After that the theater grew.
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The moment froze to ball and man. The man stood still, feet wide, eyes fixed on the ball’s perimeter, mind processing the ball’s destination and his own fate. Beads of sweat ran down his temples. He took a deep, deep breath. again. Then again. Cristiano Ronaldo has taken 211 penalties; He has converted 178. Still he was scared.
But this was different. This may be his last; His dreams and nightmares, his obituary and rebirth. Everything unfolded in slow motion. The whistle blew. Ronaldo took a step, then paused. Then he wrapped his body and swept the ball into the center of the goal, sending goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic flying the wrong way. He squealed with joy, strode to the touchline, jumped as high as he could and hoisted the famous SIU.
The final twist
He was substituted after twelve minutes. This could be his final bow, Ronaldo’s final World Cup performance. Ticked seconds with a length of microseconds. The match looked set to go into extra time and then came the twist for both Modric and Ronaldo. Goncalo Ramos kept Ronaldo’s World Cup dream alive by curling a header past goalkeeper Livakovic to secure Portugal’s passage to the same heights as Ronaldo.
One great career ended and another was reborn.