Kathmandu: Cristiano Ronaldo might be playing his last World Cup match ever and it could come sooner than anyone expected.

Portugal have not played well in this World Cup. In the group stage, they only won one game against Uzbekistan, a team ranked 60th in the world.

They drew their other two matches against DR Congo and Colombia. This is not the kind of form a top team wants heading into a knockout match.

Ronaldo is now 41 years old and has played 231 games for Portugal. Since he first played at the World Cup in 2006, Portugal have reached the Round of 16 in four out of five World Cups. But if they lose this match, it will probably be the end of his World Cup journey for good.

Their opponent Croatia is a team known for beating bigger, more famous teams in important matches. They finished just one point behind England in their group.

They didn’t play amazing football but they got results beating both Panama and Ghana. This same style helped them finish in the top three at the last two World Cups in 2018 and 2022.

History, though, is firmly on Portugal’s side. The two teams have met 10 times in total and Portugal have won 7 of those matches with 2 ending in draws.

Croatia have won just once and that came in a friendly match in 2024 with Ante Budimir scoring the winner in Lisbon. In competitive matches, Croatia have never beaten Portugal.

The Big Personal Battle: Ronaldo vs Modric

This match is extra special because of two players, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric. They used to be teammates at Real Madrid and now they will face each other as rivals, possibly for the last time at a World Cup.

Modric is 40 years old and recently reached 200 international caps for Croatia. Only four players in football history have done that, Modric, Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Bader Al-Mutawa. Modric didn’t play his best in Croatia’s first match but he’s improved since then even earning Player of the Match after setting up the winning goal against Ghana.

Ronaldo scored two goals against Uzbekistan and celebrated by shouting “I’m back!” but he still hasn’t scored a single World Cup knockout stage goal in his whole career. His overall rating this tournament shows he hasn’t been at his very best yet.

The good news for him is that his teammates are creating good chances. Portugal rank among the best teams at the tournament for accurate long passes.

Team News

Portugal have no injuries so every player is available. The main question is whether Bernardo Silva will start or if Rafael Leao and Joao Felix will keep their places instead.

Croatia has a similar decision to make up front. Ante Budimir started the last match but Petar Musa played well in the first two games of the tournament.

Prediction

On paper and backed by history, Portugal should be the clear favorites. They have more star power, more experience and a strong head to head record against Croatia in competitive games.

But so far, they haven’t shown their best form while Croatia are known for playing their best football exactly when it matters most, in the knockout rounds.

This looks like it could still be a close, nervous match even if the numbers favor Portugal. It might go to extra time or penalties with either goalkeeper, Dominik Livakovic or Diogo Costa, becoming the hero.

For one legend, this match could decide how his World Cup story finally ends.