Ronaldo nets first World Cup knockout goal but fumes at substitution as Portugal edge Croatia

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first-ever goal in the knockout stages of a World Cup on Monday, but the milestone was overshadowed by his undisguised frustration after Portugal manager Roberto Martinez substituted him in the 81st minute of a 2-1 win over Croatia.

Ronaldo had equalised from the penalty spot after Ivan Perisic gave Croatia the lead, and had an earlier effort ruled out for offside. Despite those contributions, Martinez opted to bring on Ruben Neves with less than 10 minutes of normal time remaining. The 41-year-old shook his head and paused before leaving the pitch, making little effort to conceal his displeasure.

Croatia were denied a stoppage-time equaliser in dramatic fashion, and Portugal progressed to the last 16, where they will face Spain.

Commentators on BBC Radio 5 Live were quick to note Ronaldo’s reaction. “Look at his face,” said Matt Upson. “Straight away, the shake of the head and the disappointment. He couldn’t hide it. I think Martinez has made a sensible call to keep Portugal fresh and in the game.”

Stephen Warnock echoed that view. “Cristiano Ronaldo is not happy. He is not happy at all,” he said. “Take the name out of it, it is the right decision. Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t affected the game enough. Yes, he scored the penalty. The link-up play, the pressing, it is not there from him. For the good of the team, that is what Roberto Martinez has to think about. You have got to put your ego aside and think of the bigger picture.”

Theo Walcott admitted he had initially been reluctant to support the call. “Cristiano Ronaldo had his moment and we had this debate, thinking about taking him off just before he had the goal offside and I was like ‘you can’t take him off’,” he said. “I think it was the right decision in the end, it really was, even his response — and these are beautiful scenes.”

Ronaldo’s mood appeared to lift at the final whistle. The Portugal captain celebrated with his teammates and paid tribute to the late Diogo Jota, wearing a shirt bearing Jota’s number during the post-match celebrations.