Following Canada’s 1-0 victory over South Africa at SoFi Stadium, The Athletic journalist Colin Millar noted a unique distinction achieved by match-winner Stephen Eustáquio.
By scoring a dramatic 92nd-minute goal to secure Canada’s first-ever knockout phase win, the midfielder technically became the first player who has represented Portugal at any international level to score a World Cup knockout goal while wearing the number 7 shirt.
Eustáquio, who currently wears the No. 7 jersey for Canada, was born in Ontario to Portuguese parents and represented Portugal at the Under-21 level before committing his senior international career to Canada in 2019.
Cristiano Ronaldo is STILL in search of a first World Cup knockout goal
The statistic highlights a notable omission in Cristiano Ronaldo's extensive career CV.
Despite being the all-time leading goalscorer in international men's football and featuring in multiple World Cups for Portugal, Ronaldo has never scored a goal during the knockout rounds of the tournament.
The statistical quirk emerges as Ronaldo and the current Portugal squad prepare for their own upcoming Round of 32 knockout match against Croatia in Toronto.
Ronaldo became the first man to score at six different World Cups with his brace against Uzbekistan during the group stage.
His goal haul is as follows:
2006 (Germany): 1 goal (vs. Iran)
2010 (South Africa): 1 goal (vs. North Korea)
2014 (Brazil): 1 goal (vs. Ghana)
2018 (Russia): 4 goals (Hat-trick vs. Spain, 1 vs. Morocco)
2022 (Qatar): 1 goal (vs. Ghana)
2026 (USA/Mexico/Canada): 2 goals (vs. Uzbekistan)
Elimination to Croatia, without finding the back of the net, would mean in all likelihood that CR7 retires from the game without that knockout goal.
Ronaldo has 10 FIFA World Cup goals, nine shy of record scorer Lionel Messi.
