Ronaldo consoles tearful Modric after VAR denies Croatia in World Cup last-32 thriller

Cristiano Ronaldo sought out Luka Modric at the final whistle to offer a personal tribute to his former Real Madrid team-mate after Portugal survived a dramatic World Cup last-32 clash in Toronto on Thursday, winning 2-1 against Croatia in a match that ended in controversy.

Croatia had looked set to force extra time when Josko Gvardiol netted in the 103rd minute, only for VAR to controversially rule the goal out. The decision left Croatia’s players in tears, with captain Modric — who at 40 and with 202 caps may have just played his final World Cup match — visibly devastated on the pitch.

Ronaldo, 41, made his way over to Modric and embraced him several times, drawing on the bond the pair forged across six trophy-laden years together at Real Madrid. In his post-match interview, Ronaldo revealed exactly what he said: “I played with Luka so many matches and we are nearly the same age. He is a legend of football. I said to him, ‘Congratulations for everything. I would love to see you again and all the best for the next years of your career’. It was nice to play him once again.”

The match itself had been a rollercoaster for Portugal. Ivan Perisic’s opener put Croatia ahead before Ronaldo had a goal disallowed for offside on the hour mark. The Al-Nassr forward eventually broke his World Cup knockout-stage goal drought from the penalty spot to level, but was then substituted by manager Roberto Martinez late on — a bold call that proved decisive when replacement Goncalo Ramos struck in the 94th minute to seal the win.

The two former Los Blancos team-mates shared four Champions League titles, a La Liga crown and a Copa del Rey during their time in Spain. For Modric, that chapter of his career now appears firmly in the past. For Ronaldo, the World Cup remains the one major trophy absent from his collection, and Portugal’s reward for Thursday’s win is a last-16 tie against reigning European champions Spain in Dallas, Texas, on Monday.