Victory and still in the World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo chose calm in the middle of the storm. The captain of the Portuguese national team assured that he will not make any decision about his international future until the World Cup campaign is over, which is still alive after the dramatic 2-1 victory against Croatia in Toronto.

At 41 years old and playing in his sixth World Cup, Ronaldo ended a long drought in knockout stages by converting a penalty to equalize, after Ivan Perisic opened the scoring. However, the match was a complete chaos; the star was surprisingly substituted in the 81st minute by Roberto Martínez's decision, who sought to strengthen the midfield with Rubén Neves. The gamble ended up working because Gonçalo Ramos, another substitute, sealed the victory with a header in the 94th minute.

The controversial play

The match still held more controversy. Josko Gvardiol seemed to have scored the equalizer in stoppage time, but the goal was disallowed for an offside interpreted as subjective, as Igor Matanovic had brushed the ball in the previous center, leaving Mario Pasalic in an offside position. Even a subsequent touch on the back of Renato Veiga, which could have reset the play, was considered involuntary. That decision kept Portugal alive and gave Ronaldo at least one more match in the top event.

The Portuguese will now travel to Dallas to face Spain in the round of 16, a high-stakes clash. "The future is not important now," Ronaldo declared to Sport TV. "There will be time, after winning or losing, to talk with my family and decide. I no longer make decisions in the heat of the moment, now I do everything calmly. For now, it's about enjoying the present."

The penalty, Spain, and the future

The penalty goal was just his only touch inside the box throughout the match, and it came after 31 attempts in World Cup knockout stages. Meanwhile, the statistics from the OPTA supercomputer indicate that Portugal has only a 5.13% chance of winning the title, compared to Spain's 13.17%, which is also the favorite with a 59.8% chance of advancing.

Aware of the challenge, Ronaldo is not deceived: "We know that Spain has the quality to win the World Cup. It's going to be a tough match, like all the ones to come. We know them well and we will be ready."

Thus, Cristiano's future with the national team remains in suspense. The only certainty is that Portugal will play for him, for his legacy, and for the hope of a country that dreams of seeing its eternal idol lift the trophy that is missing from his showcase.

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