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Portugal vs Croatia: Ronaldo has zero goals in 570 minutes, tonight is the ninth match
Portugal vs Croatia: Ronaldo Goalless for 570 Minutes, Tonight is Match Nine
570 minutes.
In eight World Cup knockout matches, Cristiano Ronaldo has taken 27 shots. Goals: zero. Assists: zero.
Tonight at Toronto's BMO Field, with 43,036 seats, he starts. His 26th World Cup match, surpassing Matthäus to claim sole possession of second place all-time, with only Messi ahead. The numbers climb, but that zero remains fixed in place. A 41-year-old man simultaneously setting records and exposing old wounds.
The jersey has to change tonight. Croatia's red-and-white checkers clashed with Portugal's red, and FIFA's contrast rules mean Portugal wears its away kit. The number on his back doesn't change color—it just hangs there.
Voices outside have called for Ronaldo to sit on the bench. Roberto Martínez didn't listen.
Opta gives Portugal a 68.7% chance of advancing. Stare at that number for three seconds, then flip to the group stage results.
5-0 over Uzbekistan. 1-1 with DR Congo. 0-0 against Colombia.
Three matches, one win. That 5-0 is a fig leaf; pull it off and you see two scoreless draws underneath. A team that can't break down a packed defense, no matter how much possession they turn into rosary beads. Against Colombia, Ronaldo paced around the arc of the box, his touches negligible. Goal difference +5, built entirely on that first match. Only one goal conceded in three games—defense is fine. The problem is at the other end.
What is Opta betting on? That Croatia is older, slower, with fewer options off the bench. The algorithm stares at the opponent's cracks; it doesn't care about Portugal's own weaknesses.
What did Croatia look like in the group stage? 2-4 to England, 1-0 over Panama, 2-1 against Ghana. Conceded four in the first match, then scraped their way back in the next two. Five goals scored, five conceded in three games. Goal difference: zero. Their form fluctuates like an EKG.
But the way they scraped back carries Modrić's footprints. He provided an assist in the group stage, becoming the oldest player to assist at a World Cup at age 40. He had just undergone cheekbone surgery weeks earlier. The traces of the operation are still on his face, as he runs, turns, and slips the ball to teammates in Toronto's humid air. A 40-year-old refusing to let time claim him is an act of violence in itself.
Croatia and Portugal have met 10 times historically. One win, two draws, seven losses—their sole victory came in a 2011 friendly. In competitive matches—Euros, World Cup, Nations League—Croatia has never beaten Portugal. In the Euro 2016 round of 16, the two sides ground through extra time. Ronaldo's shot was saved, and Quaresma poked in the rebound. 1-0.
The skeleton of that match could be reassembled at any moment tonight. Possession, shots, expected goals—all might be worthless by the 90th minute. Only one moment, one player's boot, matters.
They met twice in the 2024-25 Nations League. In Lisbon, Portugal won 2-1. In Split, it was 1-1—that was last November. Croatia couldn't take Portugal down on home turf.
Portugal's Prime Minister Montenegro predicted a 2-0 win before the match. A politician's typical bluster, but it shows Lisbon doesn't expect extra time. The Croatians don't think they should lose either.
Ronaldo has 10 World Cup goals total across six tournaments: 1, 1, 1, 4, 1, 2. The first man to score in six World Cups. Modrić has said he'll retire after this one. Tonight could be his last World Cup match. Ronaldo hasn't spoken, but his 41-year-old body will make the decision for him soon enough.
Toronto's forecast calls for thunderstorms. Humid, low pressure, 43,036 people sweating in the stands.
The winner flies to Dallas on July 6 to face Spain. Three days ago, Spain crushed Austria 3-0, with Oyarzabal scoring twice.
Ronaldo has to break the 570-minute drought. Modrić has to break the curse of never beating Portugal in a competitive match. Both have their own debts to settle.
The thunder hasn't arrived yet. The whistle is still in the referee's mouth.
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