Two football legends past the age of 40 met for the last time at the World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) led his team into the round of 16, while Luka Modric (Croatia) said farewell to the World Cup stage.
Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America, held at Toronto Stadium in Canada on June 3. With the dramatic comeback win, Portugal advanced to the round of 16, where it will contest a quarterfinal spot against Spain, while Croatia ended its tournament.
More than the result, attention focused on the "last dance" of the two legends. Both born in 1985, Ronaldo and Modric remained central figures for their national teams and roamed the World Cup stage despite being over 40. As both players had effectively signaled this tournament as their last World Cup, the losing side was destined to bid farewell to the World Cup stage.
The two players both appeared in the starting lineup, rewriting World Cup history. It was the first time two field players over the age of 40 faced each other in the same World Cup match. Previously, Cameroon's Roger Milla was the only field player to compete at a World Cup past the age of 40.
Croatia took control early in the match. Modric shook up Portugal's midfield with his characteristic wide range of movement and game orchestration, and Croatia went ahead with Ivan Perisic's opening goal in the 53rd minute. Perisic took a cross from the right and finished with a left-footed shot to break the deadlock.
Trailing, Portugal knocked on the door repeatedly. In the 58th minute, Rafael Leao's curling shot struck the crossbar, and three minutes later Ronaldo's lobbed shot was disallowed for offside.
In the end, the finisher was Ronaldo. In the 68th minute, during a Portugal attack, Nikola Vlasic brought down Renato Veiga, and a penalty kick was awarded. Ronaldo, taking the kick, calmly found the net. It was his first goal in a World Cup knockout stage and his 11th career World Cup goal.
Croatia did not back down easily. In the 75th minute, Mateo Kovacic attempted successive long-range shots, but one hit the post and another was blocked by a goalkeeper save, leaving him to swallow his disappointment.
The match was decided in its final stages. In stoppage time, Goncalo Ramos connected with a header off Leao's cross, completing Portugal's 2-1 comeback.
Croatia appeared to have scored a dramatic equalizer just before the end through Josko Gvardiol, but after a video assistant referee (VAR) review, offside was declared, and it ultimately failed to turn the match around.
Modric played the full match, guarding the midfield until the end, while Ronaldo finished his role, being substituted by Ruben Neves in the 81st minute. The World Cup showdown between the two legends came to a close after 81 minutes.
The most striking scene came after the final whistle. Ronaldo, who had played alongside Modric at Real Madrid and won numerous titles together, approached Modric for a warm embrace as they encouraged each other.
With this defeat, Croatia's golden generation, including Modric, Ivan Perisic and Andrej Kramaric, has effectively said farewell to the World Cup stage. They left a legacy of a runner-up finish at the 2018 Russia World Cup and third place at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, will continue his final World Cup journey. Portugal will face its Iberian Peninsula rival Spain for a quarterfinal spot at Dallas Stadium in the United States at 4 a.m. on June 7.
