Two shots with one penalty goal! Ronaldo named MVP of the match, surpassing the last-minute hero, setting a World Cup record at age 41

In a World Cup round of 16 match that concluded on July 3rd Beijing time, Portugal overturned Croatia 2-1 to secure a place in the last 16 after a tense battle. In this match, Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo, aged 41, scored his first-ever knockout stage goal from a penalty kick, helping his team level the score. Following the match, he was deservedly chosen as the official Man of the Match.[Watch the World Cup on Migu Video]

In this game, Ronaldo started for the fourth consecutive time. However, he had few opportunities throughout the match. After Croatia took the lead, in the 61st minute, Ronaldo broke through the offside trap to score a one-on-one, but VAR determined he was offside, and the goal was disallowed.

Just seven minutes later, however, Ronaldo made up for the disappointment. Teammate Vega won a penalty for Portugal, and as the designated penalty taker, Ronaldo stepped up without hesitation. He showed great composure by blasting the ball straight down the middle to score.

Thus, after 20 years, Ronaldo finally scored his first World Cup knockout stage goal. In his previous eight knockout stage matches, he had recorded neither goals nor assists. However, just 13 minutes after Ronaldo leveled the score for Portugal, manager Martinez substituted him off.

Despite showing visible displeasure, Ronaldo accepted the manager's decision. This was the second time in his career he was substituted off during a World Cup knockout match; the first was on June 25, 2006, against the Netherlands.

According to post-match statistics, Ronaldo had two shots with one on target, scoring the equalizer from a penalty. He had only 25 touches and received an average rating of 7.1.

Dramatically, during stoppage time, Goncalo Ramos, who had replaced Ronaldo, scored a header to complete Portugal's comeback. At that moment, Ronaldo finally broke into a smile and eagerly joined the team in celebration. His earlier dissatisfaction and frustration all vanished.

After the match, Ronaldo surpassed the last-minute hero Goncalo Ramos to be named the official Man of the Match.At 41 years and 147 days old, he became the oldest player to be named Man of the Match in World Cup history, whether in knockout stages or the entire tournament, surpassing Olivier Giroud (36) and Lionel Messi (35) from the previous World Cup.

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