Cristiano Ronaldo-mania grips Toronto after Portugal survives Croatia scare in 2026 World Cup: Watch BTS celebrations

Cristiano Ronaldo once again made the headlines as the 41-year-old became the oldest to score in a FIFA World Cup knockout clash as Portugal made it to the last 16 of the tournament with a 2-1 win over Croatia in Toronto. After Ivan Perisic gave Croatia the lead in the 53rd minute, Ronaldo restored parity from the spot in the 68th minute before Goncalo Ramos's late strike sealed Portugal's date with Spain in the next round.

Playing in his record sixth World Cup, Ronaldo, at 41 years and 147 days, became the oldest to score in a knockout clash of the World Cup. Had Igor Matanovic's goal in the final minutes of the injury time not been disallowed, the outcome of the game could have been different.

Following Portugal's victory, a video of Ronaldo went viral on social media. The Al Nassr captain was seen celebrating with the fans from Portugal's team hole in Toronto as Ronaldo screamed "Vamos, Vamos". It is a spanish word which means "let's go!" or “come on”.

The official social media handles of the Portugal national football team shared Behind-the-Scenes (BTS) footage of Ronaldo's victory celebrations. Captioning the post “Someone said ‘Make them feel at home’?” on X, the video showed the entire Portugal team on the balcony to celebrate the win over Croatia, with Ronaldo being the star attraction.

The streets in front of the hotel were filled with thousands of fans as Ronaldo waved towards them. At the end, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez waved to the fans. The win kept Ronaldo's World Cup dreams alive, while it certainly ended Modric's, who has played his last at 40.

Portugal's tribute to Diogo Jota

Coincidentally, the Portugal vs Croatia match took place on 3 June, the day when Diogo Jota, who died in a car accident exactly a year ago, along with his brother Andre Silva. Although Portugal beat Croatia, they were playing for something bigger than themselves - for Jota.

Following the final whistle, Ronaldo wore Jota's jersey no.21 and led his team on an emotional walk towards the Portugal fans wearing Jota's jersey number 21. Jota's close friend Ruben Neves, the Portugal midfielder, now wears the number 21 for the national team.

He kissed a wristband bearing the Liverpool forward's name as he stood for the anthem at the end of which Jota's image was cast on the big screen, drawing cheers from every corner of the stadium. Ronaldo took to Instagram after the game as he held the shirt for a group picture with the team. The message read: "We won for us, Diogo and Portugal!"

Portugal coach Martinez, who has described Jota as "our light" and named ​him an honorary member of the World Cup squad, said his team's performance showed what the player meant for his team.

"Several beautiful symbols of power and energy and what Jota meant for the team. He was someone who believed, and we have (a) responsibility for Diogo and we are going to keep doing this," he told reporters.

The fans at the stadium did their part too. When the clock hit the 21-minute mark, they got up from their seats and unfurled a banner with his image and balloons that said 21. "We talk about him every day. He gives us strength," Ramos said after the game.

Get all updates from FIFA World Cup 2026 here, along with FIFA World Cup 2026 Complete Schedule and FIFA World Cup 2026 Points Table.